Durban - Along with Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller, Karim Benzema is arguably one of the most underrated players of the modern generation.
The Frenchman, now 34 years old, has been at Los Blancos since 2009. Not many players survive more than a decade in the high-pressure environment that is the Santiago Bernabeu, not even Cristiano Ronaldo did.
At his current rate, Benzema still has a few years left in the tank. He proved that with his hat-trick in Madrid’s 3-1 thumping of PSG in the Champions League this week.
Benzema’s goals were not simply tap-ins or strikes but he showed his football intelligence and work rate in the build-up. After Madrid went down, he used his energy to exert pressure on PSG goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma. After forcing a turnover of possession, he played some brilliant balls with Vinicius Junior before the Brazilian played him a cutback for a tap-in.
Sixteen minutes later Benzema showed strategic thinking, getting himself into a good position. In the process, he outsmarted the PSG defence together with teammate Luka Modric.
What is also impressive about Benzema is that he is the third highest scorer in Madrid’s history with 309 goals. The bulk of these goals were scored while he was playing second fiddle to Ronaldo for nearly a decade. He also has never really taken penalties in high frequency.
Benzema will have to be a contender for the Ballon d’or this season alongside Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah. Barring a strong performance from either Portugal or Argentina at the 2022 World Cup later in the year, it looks like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will be nowhere in the picture for the award for the first time in more than a decade.
Benzema’s goals don’t only help Madrid advance in the Champions League. They may have also played an important role off the field with Kylian Mbappe’s future in France up in the air.
Mbappe was brilliant against Madrid but with PSG showing little progress compared to where they were last year, he may reconsider his future away from the Parc des Princes in order to take his career to the next level and win the Champions League as well as the Ballon d’or.
The race for the Ballon d’or is going to hot up. Mbappe will be the favourite of the general public, Mohamed Salah the favourite of Liverpool supporters and many people in Africa, while Benzema may be the favourite of fewer, due to some of the more controversial incidents that he has been involved in over the years.
Nevertheless, at the age of 34, a Ballon d’or for Benzema will be richly deserved and symbolic. It will also finally prove to the public that he is a legend and generational great. The award for Benzema at this stage could elevate his reputation in the same way it did Modric after the Croatian won the award in 2018 at the age of 33.