Rio Ferdinand is lyrical about the form Karim Benzema is in. The Real Madrid striker scored a hat-trick for the second Champions League match in a row and also leads the top scorers list of La Liga with no less than ten goals difference. Ferdinand sees Benzema as the pick of the bunch for the upcoming edition of the Ballon d’Or – something that would have been unlikely for him if Cristiano Ronaldo had still played in Madrid.
Benzema was personally responsible for the entire goal production against Chelsea (1-3) on Wednesday evening; a round earlier, the Frenchman was already in the showdown with Paris Saint-Germain (3-1). “They should already be writing his name on the next Ballon d’Or,” Ferdinand said on BT Sport† “This is the highest level and he just keeps scoring.”
K9 es Spiderman. K9 es Lobezbo. K9 es ese portero del edificio. K9 es tu mejor amigo. K9 es tu abuela. K9 es el Presidente de EEUU. K9 es ese monitor que te tiras con él en paracaidas. K9 es tú angel de la guarda. K9 es Dios! @Benzema †
— Iker Casillas (@IkerCasillas) Apr 6, 2022
The former Manchester United defender thinks that the star role for Benzema would not have been possible in the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo. The two played together at Real between 2009 and 2018, before the Portuguese left for Juventus for €117 million. “When Ronaldo was there,” Ferdinand recalls, “Benzema had the humility to step into the background because he knew what the team needed. Now he’s coming out of his shell.”
Benzema, who sees fellow striker Vinícius Junior (14 goals) closest on the top scorers list with 24 goals in LaLiga, has scored more than 30 goals across all competitions only once in the seasons with Ronaldo. Since the departure of the eternal top scorer of los Blancos of all time, Benzema scored only once fewer than thirty times. In the current year, the counter stands at 37 hits from 36 appearances.