‘Best No.9 in the world’: 13 quotes to sum up Karim Benzema’s brilliance | OneFootball

Karim Benzema is one of the best, but arguably one of the most underappreciated strikers of his generation.

The French superstar has been at Real Madrid for 12 years, scoring 297 goals in 580 appearances, and winning pretty much everything on offer.

One of the best when it comes to all-around play, and not just goalscoring, Benzema can consider himself a Real Madrid legend, and even at 34 years of age, is still tearing La Liga apart.

Those who played alongside or even against Benzema understand what a remarkable player he is, and here’s what some of the game’s greats had to say about him.

Ronaldo Nazario

“No doubt my candidate for the Ballon d’Or is Karim Benzema. The best striker, brutal level for 10 years and a champion above all,” Ronaldo wrote on his Facebook account in October 2021.

Zinedine Zidane

“I know what a player Benzema is, everyone knows it,” Zidane said after Benzema hit a hattrick against Athletic Bilbao in 2018. “The number of goals he’s scoring is incredible. I’m made up for him.

“Everyone can have their opinion on who is the best No.9 in the world and for me it’s Karim.

“He is confident, he knows you can always improve too, which is great. It doesn’t surprise me what he’s doing.”

Thierry Henry

“When I speak about Benzema, only one word comes to mind, it’s class. He is class. When he plays, whatever he does, he does it with class,” Henry stated on French TV channel TF1.

Kylian Mbappe

“Playing with great players is what I dream of. Benzema is a great player. I’m very happy he’s back. There are not many players better than Benzema in the world. He will contribute a lot to us,” Mbappe posted on his Instagram in May 2021.

David Trezeguet

“Benzema is a mix between Raul and Butragueno, he gives much more to the game than just statistics,” Trezeguet told Goal in France.

Cristiano Ronaldo

“I’m happy for him, He is the best striker in the league and one of the world’s best,” Ronaldo told AS after a 5-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in 2014.

Mesut Ozil

Tweeting after Benzema scored in El Clasico in 2020, the former Madrid star stated: “The best striker of La Liga showed his class again – my boy Benzi.”

Carlo Ancelotti

“For what he’s doing and for what he’s done, he has to be in the list of possible winners,” Ancelotti told La Liga TV when asked if Benzema should win the 2021 Ballon d’Or.

“Saying that Karim’s got time to win it. I somehow doubt this is his final season – he’s like a fine wine; the older he gets the better he is.”

Jose Mourinho

“The best compliment you can give to Karim Benzema is that Cristiano Ronaldo was in love with him at Real Madrid,” Mourinho said in The Sun.

“And for Cristiano to be in love with another attacking player means he does a lot for Cristiano — and he does a lot for every attacking player that plays around him.”

“Karim is probably the only No 9 I know that is not selfish in his game. His vision is amazing, the way he enjoys his football is to play with lots of freedom. I can compare him with Harry Kane also in this sense.”

Jean-Pierre Papin

“Karim Benzema is the best of his generation by far, he’s very complete,” Papin told L’Equipe.

“I like his finishing, his way of participating in the actions of his team, in their creation. He is not only there to score goals, he is there to bring the offensive animation of his training to life.

“His longevity at Real Madrid is incredible. In such a club, where it is not easy to stay or settle down, he arrived, he imposed himself when he was in competition with very great players.”

Xabi Alonso