Benzema is Real Madrid's unlikely saviour in post-Cristiano Ronaldo era

  /  autty

After a disastrous season where they went through three managers, surrendered their grip on the Champions League and finished 19 points adrift of champions Barcelona, change was needed at Real Madrid last summer.

They meant business, spending £344million in an intense period of recruitment.

Eden Hazard finally arrived from Chelsea and Europe's standout breakthrough player Luka Jovic was prised from Frankfurt. Big money was spent on defenders Ferland Mendy and Eder Militao.

This was a reboot not seen in Madrid since the second Galactico era was launched in 2009.

This was the kickstart of the new era under Zinedine Zidane, a belated response 12 months after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

But it's not been spearheaded by the new guard, with Hazard and Jovic returning just two goals between them so far.

Instead it's Karim Benzema, a player from the old guard as steeped as any in the history of the club, but an unlikely figure leading the charge.

His form has been such that it has reignited the debate over his international future. His relationship with the French national team has always been a complex one.

Early in his career he admitted to feeling more drawn towards Algeria - his parents' homeland - instead of his own.

'It's in my heart. My parents come from there. After, France... It's more sporty, that's it'. His reluctance to sing La Marseillaise also failed to go unnoticed by French fans.

In 2010 he was one of four players alleged to have had a sexual encounter with an underage prostitute - the case was then dropped in 2014. In 2015 he was arrested for his involvement in the blackmail of Mathieu Valbeuna over a sex tape.

The Court of Cassation – France’s highest judicial court – ruled in 2018 that the police had acted dishonestly over the sex tape case, and he has always maintained his innocence.

He was suspended by the national side and has been in exodus ever since. His relationship with Didier Deschamps deteriorated, and only last year he claimed the coach was bowing to the pressure of racist sections within French society that were opposed to his inclusion due to his Algerian heritage. It's something Deschamps has vehemently denied, insisting instead that his selection is simply 'not in the best interests of the French team'.

But now calls are growing for his inclusion. An overwhelming 73 per cent said Benzema has been the best French striker so far this season in a survey conducted by L'Equipe this month.

Last week Zidane agreed, saying he believed it was time for him to be brought back into the fold.

'From a football point of view, he's the best. I think he should definitely have a place in the French national team. It's beyond my role here, but he should definitely be called up,' said the Madrid coach.

After the president of the French FA, Noel Le Graet, insisted on Saturday that 'the adventure with France is over', Benzema pleaded for a chance elsewhere.

He wrote on Twitter: 'Noel, I thought you weren't interfering with the coach's decisions!

'I want you to know that I and I alone would end my international career. If you think I'm finished, let me play for one of the countries that I'm eligible for and we'll see.'

While France have prospered in his absence, there is little doubt over his importance to Real Madrid. It is easy to overlook that he is the third longest-serving player at the club, behind only Sergio Ramos and Marcelo.

Bought in the same summer window as Kaka, Xabi Alonso and Ronaldo, the Frenchman has always been the bridesmaid and never the bride. He was the least heralded of the second coming of the Galacticos a decade ago.

It had been feared that the huge promise of his early years at Lyon where he became the best young striker in Europe would go to waste, playing second fiddle to the remarkable goalscoring feats of Ronaldo.

Many expected Gareth Bale to step up when Ronaldo swapped the Bernabeu for Juventus last summer. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that it's Benzema who has grasped the nettle.

It's not been plain sailing at the Bernabeu this season, but a third of the way into the new season they're joint top of La Liga and on course for the last-16 of the Champions League.

Benzema has been central to this, and has drawn glowing praise from Zidane, saying he enjoys legendary status akin to Ronaldo and even Alfredo di Stefano.

'The only thing that's changed since Cristiano Ronaldo [left for Juventus] is that Karim is more mature. He's a father and, well, many things have happened lately which are reflected on the pitch.

'I'm very happy for Karim. It's true that he's overtaken a legend of this club like di Stefano. He's now like Cristiano Ronaldo in the history of this club.

'He's doing something amazing and we simply have to enjoy it and make the most of it.'

Benzema is 31 now, but has probably never been more central or potent for Real.

He is their top scorer so far in 2019-20, with 11 goals in 15 games - six more than nearest competitor Rodrygo. He's also outscoring Lionel Messi at the top of the La Liga charts.

In a league dominated by Messi and Ronaldo in the past decade, Benzema's record has been overlooked. But a return of 233 goals in 480 appearances should not be sniffed at, though it would undoubtedly be greater had his role not been to create opportunities and space for Ronaldo to thrive.

Last season he struck 30 times, his most prolific campaign since 2011-12 - when Real surged to the title under Jose Mourinho - and he looks set for a similar return again. It's been 41 goals in total since Ronaldo left. In the same period the Portuguese has scored 34 times.

Benzema has seemingly always struggled for recognition; underestimated, perhaps, not underrated. Not just in Spain or Madrid, but in his homeland too.

Perhaps Benzema's years in the international wilderness have helped him. He has kept fresher as a result and relatively injury free. His consistency really is remarkable.

He's never made fewer than 30 appearances in a season for Real, and this month scored in the Champions League for the 15th successive season - a record bettered only by Ryan Giggs.

He is sixth on the all-time top scorers list at Madrid - and is now just nine shy of the great Ferenc Puskas. He would do very well indeed to match Ronaldo's haul of 450, but another three or four seasons could see him trouble the beloved Raul's total of 323.

He is the great survivor at the Bernabeu. He survived Ronaldo and Kaka after arriving in that same summer 10 years ago. And he will go on showing the latest pretenders who is the real king in Madrid.

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