All eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo when Real Madrid visits Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday, but meanwhile, Ronaldo will be keeping an observant eye on what his teammate, Karim Benzema, is up to.
As the two sides prepare for a rematch of the 2017 Champions League final – a Real Madrid victory – both Ronaldo and Benzema will once again attempt to unlock the Italian outfit’s steadfast backline, not by competing against one another on the scoresheet, but by helping each other succeed, often in one direction. As such, the two wily attackers have quietly formed one of the most symbiotic combinations in all of Europe, with manager Zinedine Zidane turning to a 4-4-2 formation this season to take advantage of the duo’s complementary skill sets.
However, Benzema has faced plenty of criticism this season. The Frenchman’s tally stands at a paltry eight goals over 29 matches, which is hardly comparable to some of the finest No. 9s around Europe. He isn’t even on pace to match his meager 19-goal tally from last season, and is far from equalling his career-high mark of 32 set during his third campaign in Spain back in 2011-12.
But after enjoying a decade of football at the Santiago Bernabeu, and having donned the captain’s armband at long last in what was his 400th appearance in the iconic white kit, Benzema has become one of the most effective forwards in world football for reasons beyond goal-scoring. It’s his ability to supplement teammates like Ronaldo that makes him so vital to his side.
“What interests me is not just his goals,” Zidane said of Benzema, as quoted by Marca. “Karim is a different type of player, he will not score 50 a season, but he has many other attributes.”
Though Zidane didn’t specify what he admires most in Benzema, a look at the manager’s preferred shape and the end product of those tactical decisions paints the picture of a mutually beneficial partnership. As Ronaldo underwent his transformation from a left-winger to a traditional striker – an evolution that Gianluigi Buffon said has made the forward an “assassin” in front of goal – Benzema has had to change his own style accordingly.
That Benzema boasts 114 assists in 400 matches is a testament to his natural inclination for supporting his teammates. He has nine assists thus far this season, averaging 0.7 per 90 minutes of play. It’s not quite the 1.3 assists per 90 minutes that Benzema recorded in his career-best 2012-13 campaign, but it’s still something Ronaldo benefits from most. In fact, 40 of Benzema’s all-time assists have come his way, more than any other player has provided him during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It’s no wonder Ronaldo takes time to defend his French teammate from criticism.
“I always want to score but I provide assists as well,” Benzema said of his personal contributions. “That’s important for me, it’s the kind of football I enjoy.”
And there’s more to it than simply racking up assists. While Ronaldo scores the bulk of Real Madrid’s goals, it’s Benzema’s keen sense of space and movement that makes him such an effective complementary piece. His ability to pull defenders away and expose open spaces for Ronaldo is a talent that passes the eye test frequently enough – provided one takes a moment to look for it.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing Benzema as a striker who moves away from the presumed lane of play, but there’s often more thought behind those runs than one would think. Ronaldo himself will often pop up to tuck away a driven pass or a looping cross, all while an opposition defender or two watches on from just too far away, with a hand still tugging at Benzema’s shirt.
To that point, Zidane responded to Benzema’s critics by offering, “I like what Karim does for the team, he’s one of the best in this regard, and in the team game, I value that a lot.”
In a game that was once defined by selfish strikers and individual prowess, Benzema’s selflessness and sacrifice is a key component of Real Madrid’s attacking style, and perhaps an indication of changing tides; Roberto Firmino, Harry Kane, and many others are following the example he helped set throughout the last decade.
None of this should take away from Benzema’s nose for scoring. With 400 matches under his belt, the 30-year-old boasts 189 goals across all competitions, and is seventh in Real Madrid’s list of all-time top scorers. He even reached seventh in the team’s La Liga scoring chart when Ronaldo gave up his own potential 300th league goal – and his 50th hat-trick – so that Benzema might score just his fourth goal in the Spanish top flight this season, by gifting him a penalty against Alaves.
Though Benzema tucked the penalty away – cool as you like – it mattered little in the end, as the result was already assured at 3-0. Scoring isn’t his singular objective any longer. It won’t be against Juventus on Tuesday. It never really was.
(Photos courtesy: Getty)
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