Ballon d’Or Benzema can’t stop scoring
Carlo Garganese
- 3 Nov 2021 15:01 CDT
- 3 min read
Karim Benzema just can’t stop scoring or breaking records. He was at it again on Wednesday evening with a crucial double as Real Madrid beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 in the Champions League.
That victory puts Madrid on the cusp of qualifying for the last 16 and, as has been the case every year since Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit in 2018, it is Benzema who has been carrying the team.
TRENDING
The Frenchman turns 34 next month but is showing no signs of slowing down.
Having scored 87 goals in his last three seasons for Madrid, he already has 13 in 14 in all competitions this time around.
How many Champions League goals has Benzema scored?
His opener tonight on 14 minutes was Real Madrid’s 1000th goal in the Champions League. His second after a sensational one-touch team move was his 75th personal goal in the competition.
He is only the fourth player in history to reach that landmark after Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.
⚽ 137 - Cristiano Ronaldo
⚽ 123 - Lionel Messi
⚽ 78 - Robert Lewandowski
⚽ 75 - Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema becomes just the fourth player to score 75 goals in Champions League history 🙌#UCL pic.twitter.com/GVfDqIjOyM— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 3, 2021
He reached his 75 goals in just 134 games, having taken no penalties or free kicks during Ronaldo’s time at the club. He is averaging more than a goal every two matches, a brilliant return at this level.
And Benzema is so much more than just a goalscorer – as Ronaldo was. He plays for the team and makes those around him play better. He also has eight assists this season and he is forming a quite brilliant partnership with Vinicius Jr.
The Brazilian set up both of Benzema’s goals on Wednesday and has nine goals and five assists of his own in what is becoming a breakout season for the winger.
Benzema is unlikely to win the 2021 Ballon d’Or at the end of this month. Right now it seems like a straight battle between Messi and Robert Lewandowski, the latter having scored a frankly ridiculous 25 goals already this season for club and country.
But Benzema is playing like a Ballon d’Or-worthy player himself and has done so for the last three years. Having escaped from Ronaldo’s shadow he continues to flourish and it is impossible to think how Madrid would cope without him.
