da bet7： The 2022 Ballon d'Or winner will depart Santiago Bernabeu this summer, and he leaves quite a legacy in the Spanish capital
da bet7k： Unlike most transfer rumours, this one all happened very quickly. There were whispers that Karim Benzema might be tempted by an offer to play in Saudi Arabia on Monday. By Wednesday, he had supposedly told Real Madrid that he is going to sign for Al-Ittihad. And on Sunday, his departure from Santiago Bernabeu was made official.
The announcement marks a club legend bidding farewell to a side he brought so much success to. Still, Benzema has never really been a singular star at Real Madrid. For a long time, he had to be a player that relied on moments. From the second he joined Madrid from Lyon to the point of Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, Benzema was charged with being selfless. Often, he would vacate space for the Portuguese, or be the one passing to him. It's what led to Benzema being so underrated as a striker.
But after Ronaldo left, Benzema assumed the spotlight, a role he embraced entirely, cementing his reputation as one of the game's greats with some prolific goalscoring seasons for Champions League and La Liga-winning teams.
Still, he has been equally valuable in both eras and is the club's second-highest all-time goalscorer, with a winners medal for pretty much every trophy available in club football around his neck. But what are Benzema's best moments in a Madrid shirt? GOAL counts down his top 10…
10The fastest Clasico goal ever
This game, a 3-1 loss, wasn't a memorable scoreline from a Madrid perspective, but Benzema certainly made it a game early when he only needed 25 seconds to score in El Clasico in December 2011. It wasn't a particularly pretty goal, either — the French forward was gifted a tap-in after a series of Barcelona errors. Still, the strike got him into the Clasico record books, a feat in its own right.
AdvertisementGetty Images9Extra-time magic at the Bernabeu
Another Champions League tie that seemed lost. Another Benzema goal. In April 2022, Chelsea dragged themselves back into a quarter-final that was once beyond them, leveling the score at 4-4 at the end of normal time in the second leg. But Benzema turned the tie once more, this time with a driven header after a piece of Vinicius Jr trickery.
8A bicycle kick to sink Ajax
Pick. That. Out. Most of Benzema's goals are sneaky touches or deft headers. He's a lethal finisher in his own right, but he's never really been a flashy player. But he challenged that notion in October 2010 in a Champions League clash with Ajax.
It was a move made by legends: Ronaldo and Marcelo cleared space, while Kaka surged down the right. His dink across the box was behind Benzema, but the forward rose, swinging his right leg in the air as he fell to the ground. A dream of a bicycle kick.
7A sublime piece of skill against Atleti
When Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid teams swarm, it's hard to resist. But Benzema didn't break. In the 2017 Champions League semi-final, Benzema received a speculative ball down the line, and dutifully chased it into the corner flag. And as Diego Godin and Stefan Savic closed in, Benzema expertly evaded pressure, needing five touches of jagged turns and body feints to set up Isco's crucial away goal, one that sent Los Blancos to the final.
At the time, Madrid were on the verge of letting a 3-0 first-leg lead slip. Instead, they ran out convincing winners and would claim a second straight Champions League trophy a month later.