Karim Benzema overtakes Real Madrid legend Raul – how far is he behind Cristiano Ronaldo?

French striker’s brace against Elche moved him to 230 league goals – still someway short of Ronaldo’s record

Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, left, heads the ball past Elche’s Jose Angel Carmona during Spanish La Liga match at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, February 15, 2023. Benzema scored twice in a 4-0 win for Real. AP Photo

Steve LuckingsFeb 16, 2023Beta V.1.0 – Powered by automated translation

Karim Benzema’s brace in Real Madrid’s 4-0 win over bottom club Elche saw the French striker move out on his own as the club’s second-highest goal scorer in Spanish league football.

Benzema, 35, had started the match on 228 league goals – level with club legend Raul – but finished it with his tally at 230 thanks to two first-half penalties.

Benzema still has a way to go, though, to catch the man who holds Real Madrid’s league goals record – Cristiano Ronaldo.

How far behind Ronaldo is Benzema?

Ronaldo and Benzema both joined Real Madrid in the 2009/10 season: Ronaldo for a then world-record fee from Manchester United of €94 million while Benzema was purchased from Lyon for around €41 million.

Benzema’s double against Elche took him to 11 league goals in an injury-hit campaign that also cost him his place at the 2022 World Cup for France.

His twin penalties took him to 230 La Liga goals, but that leaves him 83 shy of Ronaldo’s record of 311 strikes in Spain’s premier division.

Karim Benzema, left, and Cristiano Ronaldo during their time as teammates at Real Madrid. AP Photo

What other records does Ronaldo hold over Benzema?

Ronaldo holds practically every Real Madrid goalscoring record including total goals (450) to Benzema’s 339.

The Portuguese, who last year signed a world-record deal to join Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr, is the all-time top scorer in the Champions League with 141 goals while Benzema has almost half that amount at 74.

Ronaldo is also international football’s record scorer with 118 goals for Portugal while Benzema has 37 for France.

Benzema, who was banished from the French national team for four years for his alleged involvement in the blackmail of a teammate, announced his international retirement last December following France’s loss to Argentina in the World Cup final.

Ronaldo can also boast five Ballon d’Or awards among his trophy collection. Benzema won the award in 2022.

Last season, Benzema finished as top scorer in La Liga with 27 goals in 32 appearances – the first time he has achieved that feat. Ronaldo finished as the league’s top marksman on three occasions, besting Benzema’s tally each time (40 goals in 2010/11, 31 in 2013/14 and 48 in 2014/15).

Al Nassr’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring his team’s second goal against Al Wehda in the Saudi Pro League match at the King Abdulaziz Stadium in Makkah on February 9, 2023. Ronaldo bagged all four goals in a 4-0 win. AFP

What records does Benzema hold over Ronaldo?

Ronaldo left Real Madrid in 2018 to join Italian club Juventus, allowing Benzema to claim his place as the team’s talisman.

Since Ronaldo’s departure, Benzema has guided Real to two Liga titles, taking his personal tally to four compared to Ronaldo’s two Spanish league titles won alongside Benzema as Real Madrid teammates (2012 and 2017).

Benzema has also won the Club World Cup five times as a Real Madrid player – the most recent last weekend when they beat Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal 5-3 in Morocco – to Ronaldo’s three.

Both players have won 30 major trophies at club level.

Will Benzema overtake Ronaldo as Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer?

At the time of publication, Benzema sits 111 goals behind Ronaldo as Real Madrid’s record scorer.

His contract at the Bernabeu expires in June with negotiations said to be ongoing for Benzema to extend his stay with the Spanish giants until the summer of 2024.

Assuming he remained a Real Madrid for that duration, it would still be a tall order to expect Benzema to overhaul Ronaldo’s record, especially given the Frenchman’s recent injury problems.

Karim Benzema kisses the trophy after Real Madrid beat Al Hilal to win the Fifa Club World Cup at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco on February 11, 2023. Reuters.

source;thenationalnews