Zidane ignites for Benzema: "He is exceptional in the game"

Karim Benzema is fine, thank you for him.

Author of the first goal this Tuesday, against Atalanta, the international tricolor (81 sel., 27 goals) of 33 years put “his” Real Madrid in orbit (3-1 final score), opening wide the doors the quarter-finals of the Champions League (4-1 over both matches).

Although, it is not so much for his goal, the 70th in C1 (!) And the 21st in all competitions since the start of the season, that Zinedine Zidane insisted at the end of the meeting, on

RMC

.

But all the rest.

“He has improved since he joined Real.

We do not know when it will stop, breaths "ZZ".

And I'm not talking about its purpose.

He is obviously capable of scoring, he's a center forward.

It is especially in the game. He is exceptional in the game. There are not many players who are able to control the ball as he does, to make others play and above all not to lose the ball.

I do not know how many he lost, but certainly not many (63 balls touched, 9 lost, 89.4% of successful passes, 4 shots including 2 on target, editor's note)… And above all, he is effective… ” 

“Ramos, Modric and Benzema?

They are not grandpas ”

Zinedine Zidane

It better be, knowing that no other Madrid player has scored more than six goals in 2020-21!

Normally, Eden Hazard should follow the former Lyonnais in this register.

Except that the former Lille resident is more often in the infirmary than in the field ... 

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Never mind, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric and Benzema, all in their thirties tightly packed, held the house.

"The grandpas are resisting?

They are not grandpas, corrects Zidane.

In fact, they always want to show that they are there, that they are good.

They are their age, it is a fact.

But when he's on the pitch, it doesn't look like Modric (decisive passer on Benzema's goal) is 35.

It's the same for Sergio and Karim, everyone.

We really had a great game, we mastered it from start to finish.

We were very good defensively.

It's a team that can get you in trouble very quickly… And we were very good offensively.

We know that we are capable of doing great things offensively and we created chances, we scored.

It's a beautiful evening.

But they are not grandpas ... " 

Real in quarterfinals for the first time since 2018

Grandfather or not, the Madrilenians find the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since their last coronation, in 2018. “On paper Real is still one of the favorites.

But on paper… It must be demonstrated, insists Zinedine Zidane.

We didn't do anything, we're only in quarters.

We know that it will be difficult, regardless of the opponent who will happen. "

In this case, it will be Dortmund, Porto, Liverpool, Paris, Manchester City or the winners of Chelsea-Atlético (1-0 in the first leg) and Bayern-Lazio (4-1 in the first leg).

Answer next Friday, during the draw.

"We will have to have the best version of Madrid in each game to pass, try to go to the end," continues the former playmaker of the Blues.

This is what we will try to do. ”

Between now and the quarter-finals, on April 6 and 7 and April 13 and 14, the Merengue will try to prolong the suspense in the Spanish league.

For now, they occupy third place in the La Liga standings with 57 points, behind their neighbors Atlético (63 pts) and their great rivals Barça (59 pts).

It will soon be time to think about the transfer window this summer.

Our colleagues wanted to take a step ahead, blowing the names of Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland or Cristiano Ronaldo.

"For the moment, we have Karim Benzema, and we take advantage of it," he eludes.

It's not bad already ...

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