Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski looked a shoe-in for the top-scorer award at the turn of the year, with 13 goals in his first 14 matches. Since then, Karim Benzema has been gaining ground on him at breakneck speed however.
The Frenchman had just five goals in seven games before the World Cup, but since Benzema has hit 12 in his last 14, as per Marca, compared to just six for Lewandowski in his last 14 – double the rate of the Polish hitman. With six games to go in the La Liga season, the race for the Pichichi title looks like a two-horse race, with Benzema gaining rapidly.
Only Erling Haaland has more goals this calendar year as it happens, with 27 goals in 26 games compared to 23 in 25 for Benzema. The Manchester City phenom will have the chance to go toe-to-toe with Benzema next week in the Champions League. Lewandowski has just 11 goals in his 21 games over the same period.
Karim Benzema joined Real Madrid in 2009.
👉 55% of his Real Madrid hat-tricks have come in the last two seasons.
👉 27% have come this April.
SEP 21 – Celta (Liga)
MAR 22– PSG (UCL)
APR 22 –Chelsea (UCL)
APR 23 – Valladolid (Liga)
APR 23 – Barça (Copa)
APR 23 – Almería (Liga) pic.twitter.com/Wfnys3wPnW— Matthew Clark (@MattClark_08) April 30, 2023
Lewandowski has returned to the goals, with successive strikes in games against Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis. Yet Benzema has been dropping masterclass performances so regularly, it might require something special to hold him off.
Image via Alvaro Medranda/NurPhoto via Getty Images
