Better striker for Real Madrid: Raul or Benzema?

tentan

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Benzema has now equalled Rauls goal tally for Real Madrid. So who's more of a legend for the club?

I suppose Raul will always have that godlike status with them, is Benzema seen as the same or has he surpassed him?
 

432JuanMata

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Benzema has now equalled Rauls goal tally for Real Madrid. So who's more of a legend for the club?

I suppose Raul will always have that godlike status with them, is Benzema seen as the same or has he surpassed him?
Raul will always be a bigger legend to Madrid fans but I would take Benzema over him slightly and Benzema has been part of the most successful CL side ever
 

BalanceUnAutreJoint

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As a player Benzema is better by pretty much every single metric, more goals and more assists in significantly less minutes and games. Higher peak as well and more consistent too.
However Raul is Madrid through and through it's his boyhood club after all, even if Benzema scores a hat trick to beat Liverpool on May 28th I don't think he'd be as iconic as Raul was for Madrid.
 

tenpoless

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I really don't think Raul was that great tbh. Legend for the club but if you put him in current RM side he will do worse than Benzema.
Also it surprises me to see how Ronaldo is ahead of them by 127 goals and he left madrid in 2018.
 

Pronewbie

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Benzema. Raul was overrated. If he weren't Real Madrid through and through he may not have even be bought, let alone kept at the club for such a long time.
 

Tarrou

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I really don't think Raul was that great tbh. Legend for the club but if you put him in current RM side he will do worse than Benzema.
Also it surprises me to see how Ronaldo is ahead of them by 127 goals and he left madrid in 2018.
why would that surprise you? He was banging in 50 goal seasons for years there
 

TsuWave

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Benzema is better both as a player and career with them, but he’ll never have the Madrid’s streets like Raul has because Raul is a local boy
 

ROFLUTION

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I don't think Raul was overrated. One of the best finishers there ever was for them. His technique was also something else, where Benzema is more powerful in his shots and makes better use of his physique.

I'd pick Raul.
 

do.ob

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Maybe we can talk about who was better at their peak (hard to see Raul beat Benzema's current season though) or some emotional connection, but over their whole career I pick Benzema. Easily.
 

Tarrou

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Maybe we can talk about who was better at their peak or some emotional connection, but over their whole career I pick Benzema. Easily.
Raul at his peak was phenomenal too. It’s a really close one for me
 

2mufc0

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Benzy.
 

do.ob

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Raul at his peak was phenomenal too. It’s a really close one for me
I think people have a tendency to overrate Raul a bit, because he was such an elegant player and because of his legend status at Real.

Whereas before this season Benzema was probably underrated, because Ronaldo got all the attention and because his style is perhaps more efficient than pretty.
 

El Jefe

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Raul at his peak was phenomenal too. It’s a really close one for me
I really think people here remember the Raul after 2004 more than the one before it. I'm not sure its as clear cut as some seem to think.

Before the galactico era he was the jewel in the crown and should've won the ballon d'or in 2001 instead of Michael Owen.
 

JPRouve

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I think people have a tendency to overrate Raul a bit, because he was such an elegant player and because of his legend status at Real.

Whereas before this season Benzema was probably underrated, because Ronaldo got all the attention and because his style is perhaps more efficient than pretty.
Benzema's style is pretty, his technique and vision have always been great. It's a mystery why people didn't overrate him, he seemed like the perfect candidate for it.
 

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Went to check if my memory served me incorrectly. Scrolled about 1 time to 00.51 and instantly did an insane technical move and finish. I'm not sure Benzema pulls them off like that
 

Bwuk

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Benzema and I don’t think it’s particularly close tbh
 

JPRouve

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This is Benzema when people didn't rate him.

 

Tarrou

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I think people have a tendency to overrate Raul a bit, because he was such an elegant player and because of his legend status at Real.

Whereas before this season Benzema was probably underrated, because Ronaldo got all the attention and because his style is perhaps more efficient than pretty.
yeah I know what you mean, Raul was so elegant and his technique was wonderful.. he was my favourite non-United player at the time along with Del Piero

let’s not forget he was a 25+ goal a season striker for a good five years though, he wasn’t just lovely to watch he also produced the goods

I’m with you though, I’d take Benz at his peak but only just.. it’s almost too close to call for me
 

RC89

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Unpopular opinion, Raul was overrated. Good player but still overrated.
 

JPRouve

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yeah I know what you mean, Raul was so elegant and his technique was wonderful.. he was my favourite non-United player at the time along with Del Piero

let’s not forget he was a 25+ goal a season striker for a good five years though, he wasn’t just lovely to watch he also produced the goods

I’m with you though, I’d take Benz at his peak but only just.. it’s almost too close to call for me
He was extremely elegant, I pretty much started to watch Schalke regularly because he was there and in my opinion he was great.
 

the_cliff

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Because it's been 4 years since he last wore the jersey. Man is a goal machine. But even so 127 goals is a lot.
It took Raul 16 years to hit 323 goals, it took Benzema 12. Those players are legends in their own right.

Ronaldo did it in 6. An absolutely insane record.
 

Tarrou

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Same for me. Never saw the fuss with Raul.
how is that even possible? Perfect technique and great finisher scoring over 300 goals for Madrid

was an absolute joy to watch

each to their own i suppose
 

TwoSheds

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how is that even possible? Perfect technique and great finisher scoring over 300 goals for Madrid

was an absolute joy to watch

each to their own i suppose
I don't see how a supposedly world class striker can have gone 11 months without a league goal playing up front for Madrid. And I don't think it was the first time in his career either, I seem to remember a long drought in his mid-twenties at some point as well. Great finisher only until he wasn't.
 

TenonTen

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It's close, I'd say Raul. But this forum has a permanent hard-on for Benzema so he's better than everyone apparently.

From this generation, apart from the obvious 2, I rate Zlatan and Aguero as better strikers/Centre Forwards than Benzema overall career considered. Benzema is the 5th best striker of this generation.
 

the_cliff

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This is Benzema when people didn't rate him.

Benzema has immaculate technique. He's definitely up there with the greatest CFs in history. There isn't a weakness in his game.
I struggle to think of any CF who has such ability in all aspects of his game as Benzema does. (I'm talking recent history).
 

OmarUnited4ever

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Raul was the better finisher, he was the king of lobbing the onrushing GKs, or GKs who are far from their goal

Benzema is better all rounder, and physically stronger too, Raul started to declined in 2006, he was 29/30, while Benzema is still bossing it at 34/35.

So overall, Benzema did it better for Madrid.

Between 2000-2004, the best strikers for me were: (not in order)

R9
Henry
RVN
Raul
Shevchenko

Raul was easily among the best 5 strikers in Europe during his peak (2000-2005), and RM fans loved him.
 
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OmarUnited4ever

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I don't see how a supposedly world class striker can have gone 11 months without a league goal playing up front for Madrid. And I don't think it was the first time in his career either, I seem to remember a long drought in his mid-twenties at some point as well. Great finisher only until he wasn't.
It was around 05/06, he was 29-30 yo, he declined and had a long draughts, I remember it because coaches like Queiroz, Luxemburgo or even Capello wouldn't dare to bench Raul, Capello was lucky RVN was there to score goals for him
 

Tarrou

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I don't see how a supposedly world class striker can have gone 11 months without a league goal playing up front for Madrid. And I don't think it was the first time in his career either, I seem to remember a long drought in his mid-twenties at some point as well. Great finisher only until he wasn't.
okay sure that's a harsh way to judge a player

he declined early and had one or two poor seasons for Madrid in the end

but surely we're judging his main body of work here?

it's a bit like saying you never saw it with Rooney and quoting his 2016/2017 stats, when he was shit

he was such a legend at Real he probably stayed there too long, and no manager had to cahones to drop him
 

BalanceUnAutreJoint

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It's close, I'd say Raul. But this forum has a permanent hard-on for Benzema so he's better than everyone apparently.

From this generation, apart from the obvious 2, I rate Zlatan and Aguero as better strikers/Centre Forwards than Benzema overall career considered. Benzema is the 5th best striker of this generation.
And you have a permanent hate boner for him.
Guess that evens it up.
 

TwoSheds

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okay sure that's a harsh way to judge a player

he declined early and had one or two poor seasons for Madrid in the end

but surely we're judging his main body of work here?

it's a bit like saying you never saw it with Rooney and quoting his 2016/2017 stats, when he was shit

he was such a legend at Real he probably stayed there too long, and no manager had to cahones to drop him
I'm sure I remember a fairly long drought when he was about 25 as well. Mentally fragile it seemed to me, and not extraordinarily talented to make up for it. But yes I agree with you that he stayed at Madrid too long and would have been better off leaving 2-3 years earlier. Though that in itself perhaps partly shows you why Benzema is a better striker, he's probably in the form of his life at a time when Raul was over the hill and far away. And he was doing it on the biggest stage in the CL with Lyon when he was only 19/20 so it's not like he peaked late.