Awaited as a hero, hailed as a king. When he headed to the bench in the 104th minute to be substituted, fifteen minutes remained to play, but it was as if the game was already over. As against Paris, as against Chelsea, Karim Benzema was once again the figurehead of this stunning Real Madrid, now qualified for the Champions League final thanks to his success against Manchester City, Wednesday May 4 (3-1 ).
Adored by the supporters of Santiago-Bernabéu, the number 9 of Real Madrid has, again, greatly participated in the qualification of his people. Even from the sidelines, the jersey still on his shoulders, the Frenchman remained standing to distill encouragement and instructions to his comrades. Then, once the final whistle had sounded, the international television production very quickly aimed its lens at the maestro of the evening.
Karim Benzema’s 2021-2022 vintage is a vintage. During the first leg, the striker had made an impression with his composure, his ability to turn half an opportunity into a goal when his Real were two units behind. He motivated his people, kept a reassuring composure which then pushed them to come back to 4-3 at the end of 90 minutes, thanks to a sumptuous panenka from the Frenchman.
He was also the symbol of an unsinkable Real, that of a team which, whatever happened, never gave up. The Merengues had already shown this face in the round of 16 against Paris, then in the quarter-finals against Chelsea. As if it was absolutely necessary that this Real is in difficulty to finally take the full light.
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On Wednesday night, he appeared to be heading for a game without, after missing all of his attempts, especially in the first half. However, he was present in the 90th minute to offer the decisive pass to Rodrygo on the 1-1 goal, which completely restarted the match. Then it was he who obtained and converted the winning penalty in extra time (94th).
He came to put his signature on a double confrontation that will go down in the annals of European football. Karim Benzema, he does more than ever the best player in the world this season. At 34, he is living the most prolific season of his career, with already 26 league goals and 15 in the Champions League. He is directly involved in 57 goals with Real, in all competitions, a record in the same exercise for him. Enough to place him very high in the list of contenders for the next Ballon d’Or.
As a bonus to an evening rich in emotions, the French international offered himself a new record, a trifle in an already incredible list. Thus, with this goal scored against Cityzens, Karim Benzema scored ten goals in this Champions League knockout stage alone. In history, only Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2016/17 season has done so well on the same edition.
10 – Karim Benzema has scored 10 goals in the Champions League knockout stage this season, only Cristiano Ronaldo in 2016/17 has done so well in a single edition. Pantheon. #RMAMCI pic.twitter.com/hZDWlLfdgY
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) May 4, 2022
Benzema will play his fifth C1 final with Real, against Liverpool, on May 28. He had won the first four, including one against the Reds in 2018 (with a goal). As a symbol, it is at the Stade de France that he will aim for a fifth cup with big ears, a year after his reintegration into the France team.