Karim Benzema has without a doubt stepped up his game in the past couple of years. The Frenchman has lit up the games for his club Real Madrid helping them win various trophies. But it seems like Benzema knows the harsh truth which is that he will never achieve what Cristiano Ronaldo has.
Benzema was blamed to have been under the shadow of Ronaldo and then Gareth Bale during their time in Madrid. The Portuguese left for Juventus in 2018 which made Benzema the focal point of Madrid’s attack.
The flamboyant forward didn’t upset the fans as he took on the responsibility emphatically. He helped his side win the La Liga and yet another UEFA Champions League title last season. The Frenchman won some individual awards as well but he hinted that he can never overtake Ronaldo’s numbers.
Benzema:
“The achievements and goals mean I’m not far behind the Real Madrid legends, and that gives me confidence, even though I know that reaching Cristiano’s total is impossible.” pic.twitter.com/kTy02MwanG
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) May 27, 2023
He said: “The achievements and goals mean I’m not far behind the Real Madrid legends, and that gives me confidence, even though I know that reaching Cristiano’s total is impossible.”
Benzema won the Ballon d’Or and the UEFA POTY for his performances in the last season. He scored 44 goals and gave 15 assists in 46 appearances for Real Madrid last season which helped him go second on the all-time goal scorers list for Real Madrid.
How far are Karim Benzema’s stats from Cristiano Ronaldo?
Benzema and Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid in 2009 while both were entering the crucial years of their career. This was a time when Madrid was building a squad for the next decade as they signed some young forwards.
Ronaldo had already made a name for himself by winning the Ballon d’Or award. Benzema, on the other hand, had shown his huge potential with French side, Olympique Lyon. In the early years of their Madrid career, Ronaldo was a step ahead of Benzema as he became the main piece of the puzzle for Real.
KARIM BENZEMA OVERTAKES RAUL TO BECOME REAL MADRID’S SECOND ALL TIME TIME TOP SCORER 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6oQDvK9IZ1
— GOAL (@goal) August 10, 2022
This resulted in him scoring a huge number of goals while also setting up his teammates. The Portuguese scored a record 450 goals for the club in just 438 appearances while assisting 131 times. Out of these 312 came in La Liga and 115 in the UCL as Ronaldo won 2 La Liga titles and 4 UCLs with Madrid.
Benzema, on the other hand, has scored 353 goals for Madrid and assisted 165 times in 647 appearances for the club. Out of these he has scored 237 in the La Liga and 88 in the UCL. The Frenchman has won 4 La Liga titles with Real while also winning the UCL a record 5 times.
⚪️ 13 years since Real Madrid unveiled new signing Karim Benzema…
⚽️3⃣2⃣3⃣ 🏆2⃣2⃣#OTD | #UCL pic.twitter.com/IJaNuxfgXb
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) July 9, 2022
Even though Benzema has surpassed Ronaldo in the trophy section, he is way behind in the goals tally. It seems like the Frenchman was correct when he stated that beating Ronaldo’s stats was impossible. But what Benzema has done for Madrid over the years cannot be overlooked as he has etched his name among the greats in the history of the club.