Benzema, on the hunt for Di Stéfano

Next goal in Madrid’s Olympus: Alfredo Di Stéfano. Benzema returns to Ancelotti’s squad after resting in the Cup, as he prepares to face his final sprint to enter the podium of top scorers in Real Madrid’s history. He surpassed Santillana’s 290, reached the milestone of 300 and, with 303 goals to his credit, he only has six goals left to surpass the 308 he scored The Blonde Arrow. A record that, at the scoring rate he has this season, is within his reach in February. Only Raúl (323 goals) and Cristiano Ronaldo (450) are above Karim.

The Frenchman has at least seven games ahead of him to beat the Spanish-Argentinean before the end of that month. There will be seven if Madrid go through the Cup round against Athletic (3-F), the next game to today and a rival who is Benzema’s favorite victim with Real Madrid. He has scored 18 goals against him. This campaign has not failed in any of the three previous clashes against the lions and on his last visit to San Mamés he left the Cathedral with a standing ovation.

After these two games, Granada awaits Madrid (which is the third team that Karim is best at, with 14 goals in 17 games), Villarreal, the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against PSG, Alavés and Rayo Vallecano. If Di Stéfano’s record has not fallen by then, in March, until the national team break, they expect a hypothetical second leg of the Cup semifinals, Real Sociedad, PSG again in the Champions League, Mallorca and the Clásico against Barcelona at the Bernabeu.

Benzema has scored 24 goals in 27 games for Madrid this season, averaging 0.88 goals per game. Score a goal every 95 minutes. Numbers that, at 34 years old, are heading towards the best season of his sports career. His ceiling is in the 32 goals he scored in 2011-12. With that figure he would have already surpassed Di Stéfano. Y in the League, with 17 goals, he is heading towards a Pichichi that he has not yet conquered in Spain, but who did achieve it in Ligue 1 with Lyon in 2007-08.

The player talks about the Champions League match against PSG in the preview of an interview that is broadcast this Sunday on Telefoot. “We know that Champions League games are always difficult. I would have liked more to face another team. Unfortunately, PSG touched us”, says Benzema in his statements for the emblematic program of TF1.

In that tie he will face Mbappé, the signing most longed for by Real Madrid and his teammate in the France team. A match that makes the tie “more special because we like each other very well. For many reasons, that’s clear. But yes, it’s going to be special. And, of course, it’s going to be a great game,” anticipates Benzema.