Legends of this club must stay at Madrid, Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said, hoping the forward will be available next year. Benzema missed Madrid’s La Liga win over Espanyol on Saturday due to an ankle injury, but he is expected to return to face Liverpool in a last 16 second leg clash at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old has been sidelined frequently, including with a thigh injury that forced him to miss France’s World Cup. Something is wrong with Benzema, he has never spent so much time in the injury room in his entire career, Madrid newspaper AS complained last week, with Benzema out for the eighth time.
The forward has missed 34% of Madrid’s games this season across all competitions, 14 games in total, but has scored 18 goals in the 27 games he has played. It’s been months of disappointment and enormous mystery with Karim, AS continued.
Benzema has aged like a fine wine, playing his best football in his later years after being released from the bench when Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid in 2018. Last season, Benzema led Real Madrid to their 14th Champions League title, a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the final.
Benzema was instrumental in Real Madrid’s wild run to Paris, scoring a stunning 17-minute hat-trick in the last 16 to defeat Paris Saint-Germain. Last season, Benzema finished as the competition’s top scorer, with 15 goals, and scored 44 goals in 46 games across all competitions as Madrid won the double.
This season, the magic has been sprinkled less liberally, though Liverpool got a taste of it at Anfield in the first leg, as Madrid ran out 5-2 winners, with Benzema scoring twice, his first goals in this season’s edition.
Benzema’s brace brought his career total in the Champions League to 88, and he will look to surpass Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, who has 91 goals in the competition.
With Benzema’s future uncertain, PSG’s Champions League exit last week provided an opportunity for some Spanish news outlets to rekindle their interest in Kylian Mbappe.
The club’s hopes of retaining the trophy this season rest on Benzema, who causes concern with each new setback. Some believe he has been deliberately reserving himself for the team’s most important matches and key European dates, which has hampered his form.
I see a very motivated Benzema, and I think you will see a different Benzema from now on, in 2023, Ancelotti predicted in late December, but it has yet to materialise.
Getting Benzema back to his best is critical for Madrid to succeed in Europe and win a fifth Champions League trophy in ten seasons.
