“Karim is the best player in the world right now, he’s so good”


Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 08:00• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 08:12

Karim Benzema was without a doubt one of the great stars during the thriller in the semi-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid (4-3). The French striker helped his team back into the game twice and was responsible for an appropriate final piece with an excellent panenka. Benzema scored his 40th and 41st goal of the season. His total in the Champions League this campaign stands at fourteen. Carlo Ancelotti therefore lacks superlatives to underline the form of the attack leader.

While Benzema declined to speak about the Ballon d’Or, Ancelotti did. “I don’t know if he should win it, but I do think that Karim is the best player in the world at the moment. There is no player around who has so much quality and is goal-oriented,” said the Italian coach. In particular, Benzema’s second goal, a panenka, was of great beauty. “His last two penalty kicks weren’t good, that’s why he may have changed it. He tried this way during training, but I didn’t know he was going to do it that way. Fortunately, it went well.”

According to Ancelotti, you have to “have a strong personality” to build in this way during a semi-final of the Champions League. Benzema failed against Osasuna and Celta de Vigo from eleven meters. “I have a lot of confidence in myself. So I decided to do it like this and luckily it turned out well,” said the Frenchman to Sky Sports† “If you never take a penalty, you can never miss one. What I showed today with that penalty says a lot about my mental strength.” In addition to being top scorer in LaLiga (25 goals), Benzema is now also the most accurate in the billion-dollar ball (14 goals) this season.

“It was a fantastic game from both sides,” said Pep Guardiola. “We are proud, but it is about getting to the final. My compliments to Carlo’s team, Real Madrid is so good. The danger was constant there. I found our way of building up a bit erratic. They put very good pressure. If both teams want to attack, then football is a great spectacle. My compliments to Real Madrid.” The return is scheduled for next Wednesday in Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. The other semi-final is between Liverpool and Villarreal.