3 Real Madrid players who showed they deserve more respect after PSG win
By Parshva Shah
Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema is one of the best players in the world at the moment. He has been for a year or two now. And at this point, his 17-minute hat-trick against PSG is not even surprising. The Frenchman has developed a knack for producing the goods during the direst of times to rescue Real Madrid.
I have been watching football (and Real Madrid) since 2014, and I don’t remember a UEFA Champions League performance from Karim Benzema quite like this one. I don’t want to make any comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo, but it’s almost like he has developed that sort of aura around him that whatever he does on the pitch doesn’t seem to bewilder me anymore. With him on the pitch, I am never worried until the final whistle. I never lose hope. That’s the sort of transformation Benzema has had in the last three years or so. He has become an absolute monster of a player, and he is the leader of the clan called Real Madrid.
Micah Richards stated after the game that Benzema has reached the level of Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski. That is an ignorant comment to make. With all due respect to Harry Kane, he is not as good as Karim Benzema. Period.
Karim Benzema now holds the record of having scored the third-most goals for Real Madrid, surpassing the legendary Alfredo di Stéfano’s tally of 308 with his third goal of the night. He is just 14 shy of equalling Raúl’s record of 323, something which he will fancy surpassing this season itself.
It is sad to see how criminally underrated Benzema is, even though his brilliance is there for everyone to witness. He is certainly starting to stamp his legacy as one of the greatest ever to put on a Real Madrid shirt.