Benzema is one of football's all-time greats & he deserves a Ballon d'Or

Not Lionel Messi the six-times Ballon d'Or winner, not Neymar, and not Kylian Mbappe, bound for Madrid and out to sign off in Paris with a Champions League win.

All three were overshadowed by a man who played (brilliantly) in Cristiano Ronaldo's shadow for so many years, and since the Portuguese left the club, has shown the world that he is as good as anyone on the planet.

Karim Benzema has no Ballon d'Ors. He has never been spoken about as FIFA World Player. He was ignored for many years by France and the noise around him has never reached the levels that accompanied Neymar in his pomp.

And yet quietly he has kept on keeping on at Madrid, scoring, assisting, scoring and on Wednesday he had arguably his greatest night.

He came into the game needing three goals to make it 30 for the season, and three goals to go past Alfredo di Stefano as Madrid's all-time third highest scorer and what a way to get those three goals - knocking out PSG in the process.

'I'm very proud to have gone past such a legend,' he said. 'Now I need to keep going.'

Who's next? He won't catch all-time leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo who has 451. But he might yet catch Raul on 323. And his 309 goals have come in far fewer games than the Spaniard.

Diario AS gave him four aces in their ratings. That's the maximum, and four more than Gianluigi Donnarumma who he beat three times to reach Di Stefano's landmark.

This was the game when Benzema didn't just remind everyone he was still here as all the spotlights looked for Mbappe; he also made a statement going into next season.

Madrid must keep him and make sure that he plays alongside the incoming Mbappe. Their partnership added to the spark of Vinicius will give Madrid the forward line they have been searching for ever since the BBC of Cristiano, Benzema and Bale ceased operations.

Benzema will have one year left at the end of this season, but much like his great friend Luka Modric, he shows no signing of slowing down with the passing of the years and the idea of allowing him to leave makes less and less sense with every goal he scores.

Madrid are following the Erland Haaland situation closely but in part that's because they know their interest keeps his price up for Manchester City and Barcelona. They cannot find room for him with Mbappe and Vinicius because he would have to play at the expense of Benzema, which is unthinkable.

With 79 Champions League goals it's time to start looking at the Frenchman not just as one of Madrid's best but one of world football's all-time greatest.

There have been spells in his career when he has been questioned. Off the field problems kept him out of international football. And such was the domination of Ronaldo that during the Portuguese's time at Madrid Benzema was only ever the sidekick.

He has been the main man since 2018 and transformed himself into the leader of a young attack that if it boasts Vinicius and Mbappe next season will take some containing. 'Benzema, oh my word, what a player,' said Michael Owen.

He knows all about the pressures of being Real Madrid's centre-forward. He lived in the shadow of the other Ronaldo and he understands how there is huge merit in just surviving at a club that devours the great and the good.

Benzema has always had club president Florentino Perez's backing because Perez has always seen him as 'his' signing.

That has helped but could also have hindered at club where being the boss' favourite has negative as well as positive implications.

Benzema has survived eight different coaches and in his second stint with Carlo Ancelotti is playing as if the best is yet to come. He wants to be at this year's World Cup.

He wants to be playing alongside his compatriot Mbappe at Madrid next season. He wants to go past Raul in the all-time Madrid goals list and no one would back against it.

For a player who made his name as Ronaldo's assist-provider extraordinaire it would also be fitting if he took the top individual prize one day. He deserves a golden ball and in the last eight of the Champions League he has the stage now, and in November in Qatar, to stake his claim stronger than ever before.