Karim Benzema has been an essential component of Real Madrid’s Champions League success, but there are questions about whether his team can rely on him to extend their European dominance this season. Real Madrid Relying On Injury-Hit Benzema For More European Glory.
The French striker’s season has been consistently disturbed by wounds, and in spite of the fact that Vinicius Junior is a lethal danger on the left, without Benzema, protections can zero in on closing down the Brazilian winger. His contract with Madrid runs out in June, and neither the player nor the club has publicly decided whether or not to extend it.
Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Madrid, stated, “Legends of this club must stay at Madrid,” hoping the forward will continue to be available to him next year.
Benzema missed Madrid’s La Liga prevail over Espanyol on Saturday with a lower leg issue however is supposed to get back to confront Liverpool at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday in a most recent 16-second leg conflict.
The 35-year-old has been injured frequently, including with a thigh injury that prevented him from playing for France at the World Cup.
When Benzema was out for the eighth time, the Madrid newspaper AS wrote, “Something is wrong with Benzema, never in his entire career has he spent so much time in the injury room.”
This season, the forward has missed 34 percent of Madrid’s games across all competitions, 14 games, but has scored 18 goals in 27 games.
Benzema, captain, and champion have aged like a fine wine, playing his best football in his later years after Cristiano Ronaldo left Madrid in 2018 and became a top-tier goal scorer.
Benzema led Madrid to Champions League glory last season, winning the competition with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the final for a record 14th time.
Benzema’s remarkable 17-minute hat trick in the last 16 to defeat Paris Saint-Germain was crucial to Madrid’s wild run to Paris.
The forward scored another hat trick at Stamford Bridge in the quarterfinals to put Chelsea in danger. He also scored a winner in extra time in the second leg to win the match for his team.
The same thing happened to Manchester City in the semi-finals:
Benzema scored twice at the Etihad in the first leg and converted a penalty kick to advance Real Madrid to the final, which was played in extra time at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid won the double last season thanks to Benzema’s 44 goals in 46 games across all competitions and 15 goals in the competition.
This season, that magic has been sprinkled less frequently, though Liverpool got a taste of it in the first leg at Anfield when Madrid won 5-2, with Benzema scoring twice, his first goal this season.
After racing into a two-goal lead, Jurgen Klopp’s team was left stunned by this display of deadly finishing.
With his two goals, Benzema now has 88 career goals in the Champions League, making him the third-highest scorer in the competition behind only Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, who has 91.
The storied careers of both players are coming to an end, and thoughts are turning to the future.
PSG’s Champions League exit last week provided some Spanish media outlets with an opportunity to rekindle connections with Kylian Mbappe, Benzema’s future is still being decided.
A photograph of the French striker was accompanied by the headline, “If you want to win the Champions League, you already know…” on the front page of Marca.
Even though it is too soon to anticipate Alvaro Rodriguez making significant contributions on the European stage, Madrid fans are also excited about the young prospect.
The team’s hopes of winning the trophy this season are in Benzema, who worries every time he gets hurt.
There are those who contend that his form has deteriorated as a result of him deliberately resting for the team’s most important matches and important European dates.
At the end of December, Ancelotti said, “I see a very motivated Benzema, and I think you will see a different Benzema from now on, in 2023,” but that hasn’t happened yet.
Getting Benzema back to his best is crucial if Madrid is to win the Champions League for the fifth time in ten seasons and return to Europe.