Real Madrid just might have the best player on the planet and the best goalkeeper on the planet. After his hat trick against Chelsea to join Cristiano Ronaldo as the only other player in history to have back-to-back hatties in the Champions League knockouts, Karim Benzema solidified his case as the Ballon d’Or frontrunner. And with another spectacular save, Thibaut Courtois entrenched himself as the best goalkeeper in the world, having been completely snubbed by the Lev Yashin Award voters a year earlier.
Courtois and Benzema have been of inestimable value to Los Blancos over the past couple of seasons, even as mainstream recognition for their excellence has eluded them. But after standout performances in the last three Champions League fixtures, Courtois and Benzema are well on their way to finally being in the limelight.
Of course, Madridistas have valued these two as the world’s best at their respective positions for quite some time now. Their consistency is as impressive as their peak excellence. Every game, Courtois seems to have a top save and seems to keep Real in the match. As for Benzema, he has more goals than appearances this season for Real Madrid.
The tough question, then, for Madridistas is, who is more valuable? Comparing a goalkeeper to a striker is never easy. The statistics do not overlap. The responsibilities are different. And when both players are equally amazing and equally beloved, separating the razor-thin margins becomes even harder.
Karim Benzema can impact a match in more ways than Thibaut Courtois
With all due respect to Courtois, who has actually been more consistent game-to-game, I would have to select Benzema as the MVP of Real Madrid for the 2021/22 season thus far. And this statement hinges on the “value” component of the acronym.
Without Benzema, Real Madrid would not have been in the Champions League semifinals. They would not have beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge either. When Benzema was unavailable against Barcelona, Real lost 4-0. Courtois prevented the match from being an even bigger blowout, but Real were dysfunctional without Benz. At the same time, of course, Real did post clean sheets over Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad earlier in the season without Benz, as Eder Militao, Luka Jovic, and Courtois himself played starring roles.
But to me, the equation boils down to something that goes beyond the main statistics we discuss with Benzema and Courtois. Benzema wins games with his goals. Courtois wins games with his saves. As an outfield player, though, Benzema can offer a few more things to add value to Real Madrid that Courtois cannot.
Benzema isn’t just Real’s best goal-scorer. He is their leading assist provider. He is their most important player tactically with his movement off the ball, both offensively and defensively. Benzema is a 9, 10, and 11 in one tireless player.
That’s what makes Benzema Real’s MVP. The fact that he has 24 goals, 11 assists, 1.9 key passes per game, and 1.0 dribbles completed per game in LaLiga this season with an added 11 goals in just 8 Champions League appearances.
Want your voice heard? Join the The Real Champs team!
How can Courtois compete with that all-around impact? He is actually even more perfect at executing his responsibilities, but that is because, in all honesty, Courtois is responsible for less than Benzema. The fact that Benzema can score, assist, create, drop deep, link play, and press almost every week and do most of these things at an elite level is a testament to how special he is. Make no mistake, Courtois is the best goalkeeper. But Benzema is still Real Madrid’s MVP, as has been the case for the previous three seasons since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.