Karim Benzema, the best ever French striker – Zidane

Karim Benzema, the best ever French striker – Zidane

Zinedine Zidane heaped praises on Karim Benzema after his brace against Athletic Bilbao guaranteed 3 points for Los Blancos.

The match which ended 3-1 for hosts Real Madrid hung in the balance when Benzema headed home from close range and finally confirmed the full points in the closing minutes of the match providing the finishing touches to a quick counter for Zidane’s side.

Zinedine Zidane on Karim Benzema


In his post-match press conference, Zidane was asked whether he rated Benzema ahead of legendary French strikers like Platini, Raymond Kopa, Thierry Henry and jean Pierre Papin. He had no hesitation – “For me, yes,” Zidane said. “He shows it with what he’s doing. He’s played at Real Madrid for a long time, more than 500 games. His goals, his trophies, what he’s done, they speak for themselves. For me he’s the best, yes, it’s clear.”

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“He’s proved it – he’s played at Real Madrid for a very long time, he has more than 500 appearances, all his goals… his record, all he’s accomplished here speaks for itself,” Zidane added.
Benzema arrived at Real Madrid from Lyon in 2009, but was long overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo until the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s move to Juventus in 2018.


“He’s a more mature player these days,” said Zidane. “But he’s always shown that he’s not a pure nine, he doesn’t only think about scoring.
“He isn’t a pure No. 9, only thinking about goals,” Zidane said. “That’s why I love him. He doesn’t only have that in his head. He links up, passes to teammates. That’s what I like in football, and he has both things.


Benzema has justified Zidane’s faith in him over the last few seasons and has seen more goals come his way after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. He is currently Real Madrid’s highest goal scorer in the League with 5 goals.

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