Agrin spreads across rodrygo’s face. Status by using the training pitch at valdebebas, he’s discussing his real madrid teammate karim benzema, the 4-instances ecu cup winner 13 years his senior who “continually talks to me earlier than video games” and “facilitates us loads, on and rancid the pitch”, someone “i usually try to listen to”, while he’s requested: so what’s the exceptional advice he has ever given you? The answer is immediately. “to play the ball to him,” rodrygo replies.
There is laughter, however it is sound advice. “every time i provide him the ball, it works out,” he says. In the 96th minute of the semi-very last towards manchester metropolis, rodrygo played the ball for benzema, turning in the cross from which actual madrid got the penalty that could placed them within the champions league final and comfy some other absurd comeback. The brazilian had scored in a minute to take them to more time and benzema supplied him the penalty to complete his hat-trick. “no, you have to take it, karim,” rodrygo answered. “nicely, of course: after the season he’s been having …” he stated afterwards.
It was the quality issue he ought to have executed. As for the season benzema is having, it is slightly believable: no one has marked a champions league marketing campaign pretty like this, maybe ever. Ibrahima konaté smiles after liverpool comfortable a place inside the champions league very last via beating villarreal. One of the things that stands proud about him is his capability to disappear, slipping out of the flow handiest to slide back in once more.
More often than before, that permits him to provide the end, however that movement he always had – the information of while to vacate area and permit others in from which ronaldo benefited a lot – stays relevant to his recreation. “he’s very, very important: he scores the most dreams and we usually try and search for him,” rodrygo says. “but he’s also essential for those people on the wing due to the fact he comes out and we are able to cross in to attempt to score. He offers a number of assists too. He’s an exceptional player.”
an knowledge of play that few forwards have (always chooses the right choice)
a capacity to mix and create overloads hard to restore with a marker, and from there the timing to seem and end the technical excellent to do so
makes his teammates better. Exceptionally, benzema makes them win, his level now beyond everyone, anywhere: a man to present the ball to, a person to depend on. Nicely, typically. Before the sport at stamford bridge, he couldn’t find his accreditation and had to cross lower back and search for it. “i said to him: ‘hurry up or you can’t play!’” ancelotti discovered. “happily, he observed it in the end.”
asked to listing the characteristics that define benzema, one competition manager sends a short profile, in bullet points:
in advance of alfredo di stéfano and raúl, he’s the second-highest scorer in madrid’s records. He has 323 madrid goals, and that’s after seven years no longer taking a penalty. Most effective lionel messi and ronaldo have greater champions league desires.
But it is not just about the dreams. He is the fine no nine in the world, casemiro says, however ancelotti admitted “calling him a ahead feels like it stops quick to me”. Zinedine zidane as soon as said: “people speak approximately karim as a natural no 9, a 9 and a 1/2, a ten; for me, he’s a bit of everything.”
for years, in truth, it wasn’t approximately the goals at all, the concept he ought to cease near the pinnacle of these charts no longer without a doubt pondered, along with by way of him. The striker who were given 11 league desires in 2016-17 and five in 2017-18 has 21, 21, 23 and 27 since. At the least in component due to the fact he had to. Or, possibly, changed into allowed to.
Of course, 2018 changed into the year ronaldo departed, the person he had served. “i had this man along me that scored 50 a season,” benzema said. Of ronaldo’s 457 goals, benzema assisted 47, or even that doesn’t surely replicate his position as facilitator. Luis díaz ought to get nod from klopp despite the fact that actual madrid might also opt to face him karen carney examine extra “karim is more complete than 5 years ago,” ancelotti stated after returning to madrid last summer time.
The instruct has thrown in the towel at times, walking out of superlatives and now not understanding what to say, whether there’s whatever he can add. “he’s like wine, better all the time, with every 12 months,” he claimed. Physically, benzema is better than ever; emotionally too. There may be a self assurance, a relaxed, an assuredness about him, almost zen. “he’s more of a pacesetter, he feels extra critical and that makes the difference; he has extra persona,” ancelotti says.
Greater popularity too, the goals creating a case for him, and that turns into self-perpetuating, the level raised all of the time. “players who help make their teammates higher do shine, and with a unique light,” the former madrid manager santiago solari insisted, in defence of his player, but desires increase the glare. Ilkay gündogan stated: “he changed into underrated in the past; now he’s proving his critics wrong. For a long time he was in ronaldo’s shadow, mainly in the press, however now he’s getting the eye he merits.”
luka modric says: “i’m glad for karim. Now each person else realises what we have all recognised for a long term. He’s a pleasure to play with: his information, his movement, his ability to interrupt down opponents.”
a good deal has been manufactured from benzema’s evolution into a striker, even though it may not be a lot approximately him evolving right into a striker as including that function to his sport. Neglect being a centre-ahead; benzema is a footballer; he plays, and not like everybody else.
“for me, karim hasn’t changed in any respect – by no means,” casemiro insists. “now we’re talking approximately him as the satisfactory nine inside the international, about the ballon d’or. The simplest component that has modified is his relationship with goals. He’s scoring extra but his knowledge of the game, his day-to-day, his pleasant, his way of seeing the game, is the equal. The best component is in different years it was cristiano or others who scored.”
ibrahima konaté: ‘the very last in paris, my home. I couldn’t have dreamed it’ read extra status at the north stop of the bernabéu, rodrygo ceding him the ball and the duty, benzema scored a great deal as he had done in manchester, where he had dinked in a panenka – a courageous but carefully prepared reaction to having ignored consequences in seven minutes at osasuna six days earlier. Scored within the 82nd minute to make it four-three to metropolis, that had been the moment that gave madrid desire for the second one leg. “we’re going to do something magic: we’re going to win,” benzema had vowed. Now he could make certain they did, the vicinity going wild when he scored, which they knew he might. Sound advice certainly: deliver the ball to benzema.
Even if he attempts to offer it to you. Which, surprisingly for a striker, he does often. That he supplied the ball says a great deal approximately him; that they had even got that some distance owed an awful lot to him. In manchester, benzema had scored after half of an hour with town 2-zero up, the sport slipping from them. Against paris saint germain, they were 1-0 down at domestic, 2-zero on combination, when he hit a hat-trick. Another hat-trick accompanied at stamford bridge.
Then got here the 96th-minute winner within the 2nd leg towards chelsea. Now he scored in the same minute in opposition to town. It was his 15th aim in this season’s champions league, two off the document set via cristiano ronaldo in 2013-14 while benzema provided for him. He has scored in each knockout recreation he has performed – injured, he changed into absent in paris – accounting for 10 of madrid’s 14 desires for the reason that group stage. 3 towards psg, 3 against city, four in opposition to chelsea. He finished as pinnacle scorer in los angeles liga, on 27. Plus 12 assists. He has 44 dreams in 45 games this season.
