Karim Benzema: Is Real Madrid player the most underrated striker in Europe?

[CaaC (John)+]

Interesting, is he underrated or not?

 

            Benzema has won four Champions Leagues with Real Madrid

"He is one of the most underrated players in the world."

On Tuesday, the pitch at the Bernabeu will be full of star players, from Kylian Mbappe to Eden Hazard and Neymar to Edinson Cavani - plus possibly Gareth Bale - when Real Madrid host Paris St-Germain in the Champions League.

However, that pre-game assessment by PSG boss Thomas Tuchel was not about any of those much-hyped superstars.

It was about Real striker Karim Benzema.

In 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo joined Real for a then world-record £80m fee from Manchester United and Benzema was approached to replace him at Old Trafford.

The France forward rejected the move and instead the two became team-mates as he too joined the Spanish giants from Lyon for £30m.

A decade on, having been described as "a tad overrated" by ex-England striker Gary Lineker, how has Benzema outlasted Ronaldo and many others at the Bernabeu and is his talent - and longevity - overlooked?

'A record to rival Europe's best'

At a time when Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi have taken the sport to new levels with their goalscoring figures as they battled for supremacy, Benzema's own records have flown under the radar.

Real know a victory over PSG will guarantee a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League and will hope to gain revenge for the 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.

But it was in their previous European game - a 6-0 thrashing of Galatasaray - in which Benzema, according to boss Zinedine Zidane, did something "amazing".

His two goals meant he became only the second player after Messi to score in 15 consecutive Champions League campaigns - even Ronaldo has not yet achieved the feat as he failed to score in the group stage for United in the 2005-06 season.

Reaching the landmark of 50 goals saw him overtake Real's legendary striker Alfredo di Stefano in Europe, while only the two usual suspects - Ronaldo and Messi - and Robert Lewandowski (59) have scored more than Benzema in the Champions League since 2009.

Just three days later, a double against Eibar in La Liga took him to sixth on the all-time list of Real scorers, overtaking another legend in Ferenc Puskas, and with 234 strikes he also became the highest-scoring Frenchman at a foreign club - surpassing Thierry Henry's record at Arsenal.

FULL REPORT

[Mel81x+]

Looking at that top scorer list makes me wonder why Timo didn't do well at the WC. It might just be the setup that lets him down in the end.

[Harry]

There was a period early in his career where Benzema was hyped up almost to the level Mbappe currently is. From that point, particularly playing a less prolific role amongst bigger more hyped names he has faded in the memory. But he hasn't outlasted Ronaldo he just hasn't chosen to leave the club like Ronaldo did.

[Teso dos Bichos]

Such a complete player that keeps getting better.  Not only has he increase the amount of shots per game but his shot accuracy went up 15%.

If it wasnt for Sergio Ramos, he would lead Europe with header goals as there is not a single player that can match up to his movement prior and during the corner. You would think that defenders would figure out that he will play off their shoulders and they dont stand a chance once he takes off. 

 

Prior to this season he had 37 more assists than Lewandowski with just one more season but in a way more tougher league. Benzema's lowest average of significant passes matches Lewandowski's career best.

Last year, Copa del Rey semifinal with Barcelona especially the second leg proved how complete Benzema continues to be.. he move to the wing and sometimes deeper down the midfielder (daring Umtiti or lenglet to come chase him deep and open up space for vini to run) and semedo and sergio Roberto kept falling for the triangle passing that always included benzema... rm dominated every spect of that game except for finishing the plays but Marc was a big part of that... rm had 14 shots compared to 4 by Barcelona and after watching that game again, it was obvious Benzema was the best player in the pitch. 

[Teso dos Bichos]

The day Benzema EMBARRASSED klopps boys.. no matter what part of the pitch he got the ball, he ran circles around every liverpool player that failed to stop him... class with and without the ball movement and even more prolific passing. I still remember the day he signed for rm and not man utd, young teso knew he would develop to the most complete attacking player not named messi or Ronaldo. 

[Spike]

I've never liked him. He plays on a stacked team, in a league that bleeds goals, and he was even outscored by fatty Higuian playing as a substitute when both were still at Real. Whenever he played for France he'd drop so deep you'd think he was emulating Didier Deschamps, too busy thinking about underage prostitutes and bullying players like Gourcuff (because remember, Benzema said he isn't French but Algerian). I really don't care about the quantity of goals, yes it is always important to score but like Lewandowski you see a stacked team scoring against dentists from an ex-coal mining village in East-Germany. Benzema has a rotten personality, a lack of morals, and is a completly overrated player that I'd never want on any team. Somehow this repugnant creature is given a pass and Gareth Bale is enemy number one.

It's become trendy in the last few months to claim' OMG Benzema is so underrated, I'm a mastermind scout for noticing him'. Fuck off, every publication is running that story and it isn't an interesting one.

[Teso dos Bichos]

May be the new trend but teso doesmt follow trends, he sets them.