After a long time, Real Madrid put in a dominant display as they got themselves a 6-0 win over Real Valladolid. Karim Benzema was in the centre of it all with a first-half hattrick. The other scorers on the day were Marco Asensio, Rodrygo and Lucas Vazquez. It is safe to say that the fans were delighted with the result.
In the process of scoring his hattrick, Benzema crossed 20 goals for the season as well. And that also led to him breaking an all-time Real Madrid record.
As tweeted out by Pedro Martin, Benzema is the first player to reach 20 goals in 11 seasons with Real Madrid. Raul and Alfredo Di Stefano had achieved the feat in 10 seasons.
Thus, it is safe to say that that puts Benzema ahead of a couple of all-time legends. And it also shows his place in the history of the club. It often feels like he does not get the credit that he deserves, despite everything that he has achieved over the course of his career.
Benzema breaks legendary Real Madrid record previously held by Raul and Di Stefano
Benzema has faced quite a bit of criticism this season. He has struggled to remain fit for any consistent length of time and as a result, has not able to build up any real form either.
When he is on the top of his game, he is still one of the best strikers on the planet though, as he showed with his first-half hattrick against Real Valladolid. Now, the hope would be that he can build on this performance and continue to deliver the goods for the rest of the season.
The La Liga title race might be as good as over. But if Benzema is at his best moving forward, then Real Madrid could have a decent chance at winning the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.