Benzema looks for his own Champions League triumph

MADRID — Real Madrid’s Rodrygo was asked on Tuesday what was the best piece of advice he had been given by Karim Benzema, and he answered quickly: “To give him the ball.”

It has been a sensible strategy for Real Madrid, whose number nine will be the most dangerous player on the pitch in Saturday’s Champions League final against Liverpool and who has been arguably the finest player in the world all season.

Benzema’s 49 goals in 52 games dwarfs Mohamed Salah’s 33 in 59 while even Kylian Mbappe, whose rejection of Real Madrid has so dominated the early build-up to this final in Paris, is inferior, with 43 in 49.

If Real Madrid beat Liverpool to win a 14th European Cup, the expectation is Benzema will also beat the likes of Salah and Sadio Mane to win his first Ballon d’Or.

This season, Benzema has scored the most goals of his career for Real Madrid and the most of his career in the Champions League. He has become the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League and the most prolific French scorer in history. 

If he scores two goals this weekend, he will equal Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League record of 17 goals, the most ever scored by one player in a single tournament.

Zinedine Zidane, whom Benzema described as like an older brother, said Benzema was “a gift to anyone who loves football”, “a total footballer” and “the best”.

Former Ballon d’Or winner Jean-Pierre Papin once said: “Benzema has the power of Ronaldo, the speed of Ronaldinho, the class of Henry and the instinct of David Trezeguet.”

“We always look for him,” said Rodrygo. “He’s phenomenal.”

He has scored 10 times in the knock-out stages, rattling the very best opponents, including a hat-trick against Paris Saint-Germain, a hat-trick against Chelsea and a brace against Manchester City.

On Sunday, as Real Madrid were still reeling from Mbappe’s decision it was impossible not to wonder if Benzema might have breathed a little sigh of relief.

After all, it has been in the absence of Ronaldo that Benzema has thrived, that increased responsibility and importance stirring something in the Frenchman that has driven him to fill the void, to reach such spectacular heights.

“He is a player who feels more and more like a leader every day, he feels more important in the team,” said Carlo Ancelotti.

His supporting role to Ronaldo and a six-year absence from the French national team, including the World Cup that France won in 2018, played a huge part in that.

But there has also never been a title that belonged to Benzema, a competition he defined in a way that meant it would always be associated with him. It would be a trophy to elevate him and entrench him among the very best.

At 35 years old, Benzema is looking to win his fifth Champions League in eight years at the Stade de France, to go with his four La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys, four Club World Cups and three European Super Cups. This season, he also won the Pichichi Trophy after finishing La Liga’s top scorer.

Yet, for all the silverware Benzema owns, the praise earned or missed, and his considerable achievements so far, this Champions League final could be different. It would be a trophy that would belong to Real Madrid but more than anyone else, a triumph that would be down to him.