Karim Benzema completes 150 Champions League matches: Decoding his stats
Karim Benzema marked his 150th appearance in the UEFA Champions League as Real Madrid overcame Chelsea 2-0 in the quarter-finals second-leg tie at Stamford Bridge. Real have reached the Champions League semis for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons, beating the Blues 4-0 on aggregate. Benzema, who started his UCL career with Lyon, has become a legend of the competition at Real.
Benzema is the fourth-highest scorer in Champions League history
Benzema has 90 goals in the UCL and is only behind Cristiano Ronaldo (140), Lionel Messi (129), and Robert Lewandowski (91). Benzema has scored 78 UCL goals for Real Madrid, having netted 12 for former club Lyon. As per Opta, Benzema has also smashed 34 goals in the knockout stages of the competition. Ronaldo (67) and Messi (49) are above him.
Benzema has 29 assists under his belt
Benzema has 29 Champions League assists (including qualifiers). It's the joint-seventh best tally alongside former Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta. Meanwhile, Ronaldo and Messi are the only two players with 40-plus assists in the competition.
Benzema has the second-highest number of UCL appearances for Real
By playing in the second-leg tie against Chelsea, Benzema has raced to 131 Champions League appearances for Real. It's the second-best tally after Iker Casillas (150 appearances). Benzema steered clear of Raul, who made 130 appearances for the Los Blancos. Benzema enjoyed a record-breaking season in 2021-22, scoring 15 goals in the Champions League for Real (joint third-highest in a season).
Benzema is a winner of five UCL honors
Benzema has claimed five Champions League titles to date (2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2021-22). All of them have come with Real. He was named the inaugural Champions League Player of the Season in 2021-22. Back in 2011-12, he finished as the top assist provider.
