So now what happens to Karim Benzema? | Hat-tricks, lots of hat-tricks

[harms]

If Karim Benzema retired now, do you think he's one of the best strikers in football history (not just among his peers in 2010s decade)?

Has Benzema done enough to be viewed on same level as Van Basten, Suarez, R9, Lewandowski, Romario, Gerd Muller, Ferenc Puskas etc. in their primes?

He’s done enough to be rated alongside Suarez/Lewandowski, but neither of them are up there with van Basten, Ronaldo or Puskás, all of whom were indisputably best players in the world at some point. Müller & Romario are a bit tougher to rate as they weren’t, at least not indisputably (Pelé, Beckenbauer, Cruyff etc. in Müller’s time, Baggio, Laudrup etc. in Romario’s), but personally I’d still pick the German ahead of the rest as the ultimate big-game goalscorer.

If you put them in rough tiers, I’d imagine that they’d fit somewhere between T2 & T3 based on your personal preference

T1 van Basten, Ronaldo, Müller, Puskás (if you even put him as a striker though, he was more than that)
T2 Romario, Kocsis, Law, Seeler, Sheva, Henry
T3 Batistuta, Riva, Greaves etc.

 

[BalanceUnAutreJoint]

He’s done enough to be rated alongside Suarez/Lewandowski, but neither of them are up there with van Basten, Ronaldo or Puskás, all of whom were indisputably best players in the world at some point

I'm not sure what puts Van Basten or Ronaldo over Suarez really.
Especially Ronaldo given how short his peak was and how huge his downfall was.

If you meant prime forms that's another story obviously but Suarez's numbers are absolutely freakish and only Messi/Ronaldo beat him in the modern era

 

[harms]

I'm not sure what puts Van Basten or Ronaldo over Suarez really.
Especially Ronaldo given how short his peak was and how huge his downfall was.

If you meant prime forms that's another story obviously but Suarez's numbers are absolutely freakish and only Messi/Ronaldo beat him in the modern era

Short answer would be ability. However good Suarez was, those two were easily a notch above — playing against the greatest defensive units ever assembled in the most competitive (and probably the most defensive) league of all-time.

Ronaldo’s peak was obviously cut short, but up to that point he was already seen as potentially the greatest footballer of all-time — playing at the level that barely any footballer had ever reached. Van Basten is probably the most complete striker ever — shooting, heading, creativity, physicality, dribbling, mentality, big moments... he stood out as the best player even in the ridiculously stacked Milan of the 80's with the likes of Gullit, Rijkaard, Baresi & Maldini playing alongside him. Suarez was not even the best player in his own team for most of his peak — his last year at Liverpool being the only exception. More so, it could be argued that he was the third best player in that Barcelona's trident.

Is Suarez the greatest number 9 of the modern times? Possibly, although Lewandowski's form of the past few years as well as Benzema's post-Ronaldo transformation may challenge that. But his overall career really lacks oomph compared to the very best of the best. And it's not something to get offended by — being compared to the likes of Henry/Seeler/Shevchenko is one hell of a praise.

 

[Bebestation]

I'm not very good at this type of stuff - but for me he has been the best player in the world except Kante, Jorginho and Verrati- in terms of their achievements and performances through a year.

Great stuff.

 

[bosnian_red]

Hes brilliant. Between him and Lewandowski, still the best strikers around.

 

[bakalhau]

He's been severely underrated throughout his career (but that's an opinion I've always held), even when he had the most absolute perfect partnership with Cristiano. And even on those awful goalscoring seasons, he's always been great on other aspects. And he's always been pretty good at scoring goals looking at the broader picture.

Donna should know better than to play around with Benzema after Karius and Bayern's keeper got mauled by him in the CL before.

To me this is his crowning game in his career. It doesn't matter if he played well throughout the 90 minutes, he put them in and in a glorious fashion.

Still a few minutes to go but he's done his job.

 

[Flexdegea]

He been one of the best about.


As you say massively underrated. Won everything as well, and has came into his own even more when Ronaldo went.

Great player. 34 and still looks fresh out there

 

[FootyGirl88]

More people need to take him seriously

 

[Andersonson]

He and Modric runs the show. Both not young and insanely good footballers

 

[Ibn Battuta]

Might go down as the most underrated player in history. No hyperbole in that statement. I can’t think of another player so severely underrated.

 

[The Stain]

That third goal was world class. Wow.

 

[Judge Red]

Spend another year in Madrid and then it must be about time to join us.

 

[diarm]

Magnificent. That's up there with the very best European Cup performances.

 

[Smithy89]

He's on another level, such a complete forward. Best for about a decade now in my opinion as far as number 9's go.

 

[marktan]

What a player. It's crazy to think about how much talent that peak Real Madrid side had when Modric and Benzema are still this good.

 

[Zen]

Went up against a few claiming he was above or at least on par with Salah around the Ballon d'Or revelations earlier in the season. He's been class this year, but he's always been great. Just because he's not into marketing himself doesn't overly make him underrated though.... he's been nominated for the Ballon d'Or almost every year since being at RM and last year was the only time he was in a true chance of winning form-wise, he only lost out on a podium due to international success of others.

He's a bit underrated...but anyones gonna be when they have the game of their careers in the CL at 34.

 

[Idxomer]

Best striker in the world.

 

[Reapersoul20]

The OP said back up to Lukaku, feck sake @shamans

 

[James Peril]

Is he done at Madrid? What level club would go for him? Would he be content being a backup for Lukaku?

I have no idea what made this thread happen back in 2018, but it’s fun reading now and how things change over a few years. I do not think in hindsight that he would be content being backup for Lukaku though!

 

[Slevs]

Spends a season at Madrid, disappoints. Next season he either moves to Serie A or Ligue 1.

I was so wrong. Respect to Benz, proved to be a class player that was playing his role perfectly when Ronaldo was there.

 

[Bwuk]

No chance Mbappe pushes him out the team.

 

[ReallyUSA]

Best striker in the world.

Absolutely. Hard to argue...until Bayern beat one of the big guys.

 

[Lash]

Criminally underrated and absolutely gutted we never got him from Lyon. Would have absolutely loved him at United.

 

[H10]

 

[Cassidy]

Best striker in the world.

The guy at Bayern has something to say about that

 

[Fortitude]

No chance Mbappe pushes him out the team.

Surely the plan is to have him flank Benzema from a wide position.

 

[footballistic orgasm]

There was really a thread here not long ago where many were saying that Rooney was better...

 

[432JuanMata]

As I said before he was Madrid’s Rooney. He was the person who sacrificed himself for Ronaldo and when Ronaldo left you can see how lethal he is.

It was the right thing to do as Ronaldo was a machine and got him 4CL medals but also made people underrate him.When Madrid dominated CL a few seasons ago he was the ultimate false 9. He benefited title wise but killed his stats.

He was always a lethal striker and now starting to get the recognision he deserves

 

[432JuanMata]

There was really a thread here not long ago where many were saying that Rooney was better...

There was a thread a while ago comparing Rashford and Mbappe and some where saying Rashford is close or just as good.

 

[arnie_ni]

There was really a thread here not long ago where many were saying that Rooney was better...

You've a weird obsession with rooney

 

[Real Name]

There was really a thread here not long ago where many were saying that Rooney was better...

Well it's a theme worth talking about.

 

[bakalhau]

As I said before he was Madrid’s Rooney. He was the person who sacrificed himself for Ronaldo and when Ronaldo left you can see how lethal he is.

It was the right thing to do as Ronaldo was a machine and got him 4CL medals but also made people underrate him.When Madrid dominated CL a few seasons ago he was the ultimate false 9. He benefited title wise but killed his stats.

He was always a lethal striker and now starting to get the recognision he deserves

Madrid's Rooney is a good description. And always a truly good hearted, so to say, guy, always happy to win trophies, never giving up on the more mild seasons he had, never caring about scoring the most goals or not, just happy to help in anyway. Was never trouble in the locker room.

I wish United would go after him but I am very biased with Benz I admit. He'd never come anyway.

 

[432JuanMata]

Madrid's Rooney is a good description. And always a truly good hearted, so to say, guy, always happy to win trophies, never giving up on the more mild seasons he had, never caring about scoring the most goals or not, just happy to help in anyway. Was never trouble in the locker room.

I wish United would go after him but I am very biased with Benz I admit. He'd never come anyway.

That’s it as I said the ultimate false 9. Firmino is a real poor Benzema but he does the same for Liverpool as in he creates space for the more lethal players in Salah and Mane.
Benzema without Ronaldo would have much more goals but definitely has less trophies so it was worth it

 

[carvajal]

With his three goals (309) he has surpassed Di Stefano in the ranking .

 

[shamans]

I have no idea what made this thread happen back in 2018, but it’s fun reading now and how things change over a few years. I do not think in hindsight that he would be content being backup for Lukaku though!

The OP said back up to Lukaku, feck sake @shamans

Didn't sound as bad back then.

 

[bakalhau]

With his three goals (309) he has surpassed Di Stefano in the ranking .

There's a chance he could catch Cristiano.

 

[choccy77]

United should sign him.

Him with Fred providing would be awesome to watch.

 

[WeePat]

The real king of European football.

 

[carvajal]

There's a chance he could catch Cristiano.

Impossible. He has 451, but he will surely catch up with Raúl (323)

 

[OL29]

United should sign him.

Yeah he’d add some much needed youth to our forward line