Most eyes may have been on Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in this weekend’s Clasico but one player eclipsed all others. Karim Benzema is the man in question and he was Real Madrid’s outstanding performer in the 3-1 victory over Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu, helping himself to 20 Eurofantasyleague points.
It was the second time in five days that Benzema produced a stunning display, his two goals in the 3-0 midweek Champions League win over Liverpool ensuring the European champions had a more than comfortable night at Anfield. Against Barca he was denied twice by the woodwork and earned the praise of Coach Carlo Ancelotti after the game, who described him as being “on fire” right now
Even so, it has not been all plain sailing for the Frenchman at Madrid this term, as earlier in the season he had to suffer the fans’ jeers alongside goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Benzema’s response since then has been nothing short of excellent and that was shown against Luis Enrique’s outfit, when he rounded off an exceptional performance from the hosts with the third goal just after the hour mark.
Things are looking rosy for Benzema in the Spanish capital at the moment, yet it might be fair to say he has endured more bad times than good in his time there. Under former boss Jose Mourinho he was not even guaranteed a place in the starting line-up, having to alternate with the now-departed Gonzalo Higuain for a place in the forward line.
However, he now appears to be thriving under Ancelotti, which is also due in no small part to the confidence countryman Zinedine Zidane placed in him when he was Ancelotti’s assistant, and Benzema continues to demonstrate he is a player who can rise to the occasion when the big games come around.
The 26-year-old is certainly silencing his critics, who in the past have accused him of not scoring enough goals for an out-and-out striker. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to argue with a player who already has eight to his name in the 2014-15 campaign – four in La Liga and four in the Champions League – and has racked up a total of 119 since a €35m transfer from Lyon in June 2009.
The Barcelona game could well turn out to be a watershed in Benzema’s Madrid career and his relationship with the notoriously demanding supporters at the Bernabeu. If he continues to fire on all cylinders, as he did in the Barca game, then it could mean that even Gareth Bale, the world’s most expensive footballer, may find it hard to get back into the team when fully recovered from injury.
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