Karim Benzema is just one goal away from equalling Raúl’s record of 323 goals as the second-highest goalscorer in Real Madrid history, something he will achieve very soon as there are three LaLiga Santander games to go, in addition to the Champions League Final, a competition where he has 15 goals this season.
While we all know that Benzema will soon become the second-highest goalscorer in Real Madrid history, we can’t help but think about the prospect of the Frenchman breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 450 goals for Los Blancos.
Although 451 is a far-fetched figure, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility for Karim Benzema to reach that figure, not at least when you consider the sort of season that he has had.
43 goals in 43 games – that’s an insane figure. But let’s try to talk about all the factors, such as Benzema’s age, the number of years he’ll be playing for Real Madrid from here on, and his rate of goalscoring as he starts to slow down (let’s hope it doesn’t happen anytime soon).
Karim Benzema’s final goal tally depends on how long he plays for Real Madrid
So, Benzema is 34 at the moment. He will turn 35 in December, and his contract with Real Madrid expires in 2023, although the club is planning to renew his contract till 2024. That means the Ballon d’Or favorite is going to stay at the club for at least two more seasons.
The rate at which he is currently scoring, and keeping in mind that his output will only decrease, he will most certainly cross the 400-goal mark by the end of the 2023-24 season.
If Real Madrid and Benzema do end up agreeing on continuing this relationship beyond the 2023-24 season, I can see him staying till 2025. I don’t think Real Madrid will renew Benzema’s contract after the 2024-25 season, and I don’t think Benzema himself would be willing to stay at Real Madrid. Karim Djaziri, the former agent of Karim Benzema, did state in 2021 that it is the latter’s wish to return to Lyon one day, the club where it all began for him.
It’s also a bit too much to expect Benzema to keep scoring 40-45 goals every season for as long as he stays, although I would be a fool to doubt him. The 34-year-old has shown time and again that he is very much capable of pulling off the unimaginable. As I said earlier, it wouldn’t be impossible for Benzema to go past Cristiano Ronaldo’s figure.
Maybe Kylian Mbappé’s arrival, along with the presence of the ever-improving Vinícius Júnior, who has had a big role in Benzema producing the numbers he has this season, will lead to increased output in front of goal compared to this season, or remain similar at the very least. Only time can tell.
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Karim Benzema is already one of the greatest Real Madrid players of all time, and if he can play long enough to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal tally, he might even surpass him to become the greatest Real Madrid player ever. Amen to that!