It’s that time of the year. Emotions are running to the hilt. Passion up to the brim. It is October. It’s Real Madrid vs Barcelona. It’s the El Clasico. It is by far the biggest game on the planet. Two teams stacked with talent riches will go head to head at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
We have been blessed to witness Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dazzle an entire generation of fans with performances and memories of unprecedented proportions. Both were the protagonists of a bygone era when Real Madrid and Barcelona dominated world football. No day went by when fans across both sides didn’t compare the two mavericks. Sadly, those times are behind us. Both of the legends have moved on.
Interestingly, the upcoming El Clasico gives us an opportunity to look at two players who have also been perennially compared to each other – Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski.
While Benzema has been the “Nueve” at Real Madrid since 2009, Lewa has shifted his base to Camp Nou after a highly successful time at Bayern Munich. We can truly say they are two of the greatest no.9s of this generation. The statistics speak volumes of their indispensability to their respective teams. Yet apart from being goal-scoring machines, they share little in terms of their style of play.
Karim Benzema is the personification of a complete forward. He is like poetry in motion unfolding on the football pitch. He is much more than a no.9. He’ll drop back, link up play and play that exquisite pass that will open up the defense. He makes players around him better in a way that he almost always plays the pass that will oblige the wide players to make a proactive run. Similarly, he’ll move inside the box which would leave the midfielder no other option but to make that pass.
Robert Lewandowski on the other hand is a goal-scoring maniac. He has a killer instinct inside the box. He is the true definition of a goal poacher capable of scoring every and any type of goal. He is the perfect target man. He has perpetually scored 40+ goals for the last seven seasons.
While the El Clasico serves up an enticing contest between two teams full of youthful players in Vinicius Jr, Pedri, Rodrygo, Gavi, etc, the two veterans will have a lot of say in the direction this match swings. While it is true that off the bat Lewa has better scoring record and is probably a more lethal goal scorer than Benzema, he still needs service to score. Karim on the other hand is just a more complete forward than Lewandowski. He will impact the game in a much broader sense and dictate the game’s play. His synergy with Vinicius, Modric, and Kroos is at a higher level than that of Lewandowski with the players around him.
Karim Benzema was the main man last season for Real Madrid. It was unfathomable for Carlo to go into a big game without him. However, the start of this season has been tough for King Karim. He has been down with injuries. Scratchy form and bad luck in front of the goal have not helped either.
Despite that, all Madridistas will be tuning into the game hoping for another masterclass from the Frenchman. Lewandowski will be gunning to get on the score sheet as well. Barcelona has had a poor Champions League run and is on the verge of elimination. Lewa has given a war cry to unite and win against their arch-rivals. Well, it is easier said than done. He might be scoring goals but as a Madrid fan, we all know only one king will step out on the field on Sunday, Ballon d’Or King Karim Benzema.