Benzema to emulate Ronaldo with 'unique' new Real Madrid contract
Robin Bairner
- 12 Aug 2022 12:31 BST
- 3 min read
Real Madrid are set to give striker Karim Benzema a “unique” new contract in recognition of his achievements at the club in the recent past.
When Cristiano Ronaldo departed Los Blancos in 2018, it threatened to cause decline in their fortunes, yet Benzema stood forward and became their ace. Having been in Ronaldo’s shadow, he Has scored 20+ goals in La Liga in each of the last four seasons and has struck 30+ in all competition on three occasions.
He hit his pinnacle, though, during the 2022/23 campaign, in which he scored 44 times in 46 games as Real Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League. Indeed, it was in Europe that he truly rose to the fore, scoring 15 goals as Los Blancos won a 14th European Cup.
His contract with the Bernabeu side, however, is up next summer and they are seeking ways in which to keep him at the club.
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Benzema to match Ronaldo
It is reported by ABC’s Tomas Gonzalez-Martin that they are ready to present him a “unique” two-year deal.
This is a special move on the part of the club because they do not typically give players over the age of 30 such contracts. Even Luka Modric, who has been a stalwart at the club for so long, has been getting one-year deal after one-year deal.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player in Los Blancos’ recent past to have been given such an honour. In 2016, at the age of 31, the Portuguese was handed a three-year extension on his deal that was due to expire in 2021.
Of course, Ronaldo never saw the end of that deal, having signed for Juventus in the summer of 2018, and is now with Manchester United.
Benzema, by contrast, is being given a multi-year deal at the age of 34, underscoring just how valuable he is to Real Madrid at present.
