20,000 people attended the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in 2009 when Karim Benzema was presented as Real Madrid‘s new player, but surely no one imagined he would become such an important player in the club’s history.
The Frenchman is the second highest scorer in the history of El Merengue with 323 goals scored, and Cristiano Ronaldo is in the first place with 451 goals. The striker has become a key player in the team and a reference for his teammates.
Benzema is widely viewed as the favorite to win the Ballon d’Or. L’Equipe and Real Madrid think he is the frontrunner. Rio Ferdinand and Mesut Ozil have expressed their belief that Benzema is the best striker in the world. Ronaldo Nazario said: “Benzema? He deserves the Ballon d’Or, I’ve been saying it for years, and people criticize me for it, but he deserves it, he’s a great striker”. Likewise, Real Madrid would have already chosen the player who will replace him.
Real Madrid would already have Karim Benzema’s replacement in mind
After Marcelo‘s departure, Benzema will be Real Madrid’s official captain for the 2022-2023 season. The Frenchman is now the longest-serving player in the squad and will be the first striker to occupy the position of captain after Raul.
At the same time, Benzema is 34 years old and Real Madrid officials know that sooner or later his level will start to decline and there is no striker of such hierarchy within the roster. According to AS, El Merengue will look to sign Erling Haaland as a replacement for the Frenchman, but the idea is to sign him in 2024.
Benzema’s contract with Real Madrid expires in 2023, but El Merengue believethe player will renew for another year. On Haaland’s side, there are rumors that the Norwegian has signed a €150 million release clause with Manchester City, which could be activated as of 2024. By 2024, Benzema will be approaching his 37th birthday, while Haaland will have just turned 24.
During an interview on El Chiringuito, Florentino Perez confessed why Real Madrid did not try to sign the striker in this transfer window. “We have Benzema, so it was impossible to have him with Karim. We can’t sign Haaland to stay on the bench. Haaland is an amazing, fantastic player”, Perez said.
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