Benzema seeks to hit 3 birds with one stone in Helsinki

Karim Benzema has turned his presence into a constant challenge to break records at Real Madrid. In the best moment of his sporting career, with his presence as the leading candidate for the 2022 Ballon d’Or and his impressive goals that made Karim’s room one of the best rooms in the Football Museum today, the Real Madrid captain is leading the season that begins in Helsinki.

There, in the historic Olympic stadium, Real Madrid will seek to win the European Super Cup for the fifth time. Benzema can win the fourth Super title in its history, the same number as the most successful players in this tournament (Dani Alves and Paolo Maldini).

But the match, which will be held in the Finnish capital, poses more challenges for Benzema on a personal level. Karim’s motto has always been that the only thing that really matters is the team, the team’s successes, but with his presence for so much time in Madrid, since 2009, he has made Benzema an indispensable figure for understanding Real Madrid’s history.

In Helsinki, Karim has the first chance to pass Raul Gonzalez as the second leading scorer in the club’s history. great stature. He was able to do so in the Champions League final, but the goal he scored was disallowed. This means that in front of Eintracht, a rival he has never faced before, he has the chance once again to surpass the 323 goals he shared with Raul and stay behind Cristiano, Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer with 451 goals.

Of the 323 goals, Benzema has scored 131 goals in the four seasons since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, an average of 33 per season. It’s science fiction, but had he achieved that rate since arriving at the club, the summer of 2009, he would have raised his figure to 426 goals.

In that strong group of goals in the Real Madrid shirt, only one goal came in the European Super Cup. That was the match he lost, in 2018, when he scored 1-1 against Atletico Madrid in Tallinn in a match that ended 2-4 for Simeone’s men.

If Benzema scores twice in Helsinki, which is normal for what he did in Europe last season, he will enter the club of the best scorers in the history of the competition. Sitting at that table is Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv), Fairclough (Liverpool), Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid), Arie Hahn (Ajax and Anderlecht), Terry McDermott (Liverpool), Messi (Barcelona), Gerd Muller (Bayern), Rensenbrink (Anderlecht). and Van der Elst (Anderlecht).

The Gento equation … and the approach to Marcelo

Benzema has always been a part of the Real Madrid legend. But in the season that officially begins in Helsinki, he has the potential to become the club’s most decorated player in history. He has six possibilities this season to remove Marcelo from his throne. The Brazilian left the club this summer with 25 trophies. surpassing Gento’s record (23 titles), a record that lasted from May 21, 1971 until Real Madrid won the last league on April 30.

Benzema can catch Gento on Wednesday. In the list of winners, as he has already won 22 titles in the Real Madrid shirt. His first win was the 2011 Cup, the one in which Cristiano scored a goal at Mestalla against Barcelona in extra time. At 23, Gento will match and make it to or past Marcelo this season with five championships on the line.

Cptins Club

Another special moment Benzema can experience in Helsinki is receiving the trophy from UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin. Because after Marcelo’s departure, Benzema is Real Madrid’s first captain and it will be up to him to get the fifth Super Cup in the club’s history if Ancelotti’s men defeat the Frankfurt Eagles. To date, this honor has been awarded to Fernando Hierro (2002), Casillas (2014) and Sergio Ramos (2016 and 2017).

With the aim of hitting these three birds with one stone, Benzema appears in the European Super Cup final. Pre-season has begun with two goals, one of which is a technical feat against Club America in San Francisco. The question that hangs in the air is whether Karim will be able to maintain his form as he reaches the age of 35 on the day after the World Cup final that awaits him as a star. Given his performance curve in recent seasons, it would be very bold to bet on Benzema.

source: marca