Karim Benzema set to leave Real Madrid: Decoding his stats
Football superstar Karim Benzema is set to leave Real Madrid after a 14-year stay. Benzema, who is the second-highest scorer for Real Madrid, will be making a move to Saudi Arabia in a big money move. Real had a contract proposal on the table for the Frenchman until the 2024 season but Benzema has decided otherwise. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
As per a report in ESPN, Benzema has decided to leave Real Madrid this summer. Reports surfaced that the Frenchman will go public with this announcement on Thursday. Benzema is expected to earn over £340m throughout a two-year contract with Saudi side Al-Ittihad. Al-Ittihad were crowned Saudi Pro League champions this season, finishing five points ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr.
Benzema is the fourth-highest scorer in La Liga
Benzema is the fourth-highest scorer in La Liga with 237 goals from 438 appearances. Lionel Messi tops the chart in La Liga with 474 goals for Barcelona (520 appearances). Cristiano Ronaldo managed 311 goals for Real in 292 matches. Telmo Zarra's tally of 251 is the third-best. He achieved the mark with Athletic Club.
Second-highest scorer for Real Madrid
Benzema is the second-highest scorer for Real Madrid with 353 goals in 647 games. Only Ronaldo has more goals than Benzema for Los Blancos (450). Benzema joined Real in the summer of 2009 and has since then spent 14 years. In 11 seasons here, he has scored over 20-plus goals in a campaign. His best season was in 2021-22 (44 goals).
Benzema's key numbers for Real
Benzema is the second-highest scorer for Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League (78) and is placed only behind Ronaldo (105). He is the third-highest scorer in the FIFA Club World Cup with four goals. Benzema is the joint-top scorer in the UEFA Super Cup (2). He is Real's top scorer in the Copa del Rey (25) and joint-top scorer in Spanish Supercup (7).
Major team honors won by Benzema with Real
Benzema has lifted four La Liga honors with Real, besides claiming the Copa del Rey on three counts. He has won the Spanish Supercup three times and the Champions League on five occasions. He has also won four UEFA Super Cups and five Club World Cups.
Plenty of individual awards won by Benzema
Benzema won the Ballon d'Or 2022, besides being adjudged UEFA Men's Player of the Year in 2021-22. He claimed UEFA Champions League Player of the Season in 2021-22 and was the top scorer that season as well. Benzema has won two La Liga Player of the Season awards in 2019-20 and 2021-22 respectively. He won the Pichichi Trophy in 2021-22 as well.
Benzema's performance in 2022-23
Benzema has managed 30 goals in 42 games for Real in 2022-23. In La Liga, he hammered 18 goals in 23 games. He also scored four goals in the Copa del Rey, four in the UCL, and four in other competitions.
