1,2,3… Benzema.
European evenings pass and the French striker of Real Madrid outdoes himself.
The captain and scorer of the Merengue was once again sparkling against Chelsea on the lawn of Stamford Bridge (3-1) in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League.
Two sumptuous headers and an opportunistic goal to take advantage of a mistake by the London defense gave Madrid a huge step towards the semi-finals.
The Spanish press is obviously swooning over the new masterful performance of the former Lyonnais.
As, one of the two major sports dailies in the capital, even had fun bringing out an old front page dating from 2009, just a few days after Benzema's arrival from Lyon.
We see a juvenile KB9 with this title: "Benzema can be the new Ronaldo".
Before specifying that he had exceeded the Portuguese in terms of success and longevity.
🏆 Author of a hat-trick against Chelsea last night, Karim Benzema was voted Man of the Match, and left with the ball!#CHERMA pic.twitter.com/KvjX0uOuWZ
— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) April 7, 2022
At competitor Marca too, we are having fun, with a tribute to “Big Ben”, a pun to say how much the great Benzema rang the bells for Londoners in their own stadium.
But perhaps the most beautiful tribute comes from the Barcelona newspaper Mundo Deportivo, which can hardly be taxed with being a Madrid player.
An article is thus titled: "The Ballon d'Or claims Benzema".
“The throne belongs to Messi, although it is not unreasonable to think that it will soon pass into the hands of Benzema, writes the special envoy to England.
His feet, and this evening also his inspired head, spoke for him on the pitch.
There is no better scenario than the Champions League and against the European champion to present a candidacy which has strengthened at Stamford Bridge (…) Benzema is an extraordinary player.
Many times underside.
Football owes him a Ballon d'Or.
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“Benzema, master of the Champions League”
Thanks to his new hat-trick, Benzema enters a little more into the legend of Real Madrid.
The Habs have now found the net 316 times in the white jersey and are only seven goals behind Raul, the second top scorer in the history of the Spanish club with 323 goals.
“Benzema, master of the Champions League” headlines La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy.
“Benzema dismantles Tuchel”, replies the German Bild.
“Benzema is the best striker in the world.
His level is very high and he shows it.
With him, we score goals, he is huge, ”explains his Belgian teammate Courtois.
"Karim Benzema is improving every day like good wine," adds coach Carlo Ancelotti.
He is more and more a leader in the team, in the group and I think that is the biggest difference.
He shows his personality more, he knows that he is very important to us and he is an example for everyone.
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🆕📰 Here are the front pages of @diarioas and @marca following Real Madrid's victory over Chelsea last night.
pic.twitter.com/lZLH3nJ2wW
— Le Journal du Real (@lejournaldureal) April 7, 2022
The former players, too, are under the spell.
"It's a war machine," summarizes Patrice Evra, who recovered a jersey from his compatriot after the match.
“When Cristiano Ronaldo was there, Benzema had the humility to stay behind because he knew what he meant to the team, but now he has stepped out of the shadows.
He is 34 years old and it is the best nine in the world.
It's another level, ”adds Rio Ferdinand, consultant on BT Sport.
"He's a total attacker, he reminds me of Di Stefano.
For young people, it may not say anything, but for those who know football, it says a lot, slips on Sky Sport the Italian technician Fabio Capello, passed by Madrid in 1996-1997.
He participates in the creation, scores great goals and is a leader on the field.
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