“What he does is unbelievable”
Karim Benzema has achieved another milestone with his next hat-trick in the Champions League. Ten goals in a ‘premier league’ season is unrivaled by any French player and Real Madrid are unlikely to stop there even after their upcoming quarter-final second leg against Chelsea. The Whites welcome the Blues in Madrid with a 3-1 first-leg win behind them. For the 34-year-old striker Benzema, after he recently broke his own best goal of the season, maybe a signal to look at the CL goal record within a season of former Real colleague Cristiano Ronaldo from the 2013/14 season.
Player with most goals in a Champions League season
16 Raúl – Real Madrid – 99/00 – 10 goals (in 15 games)
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As of April 6, 2022
16 Ruud van Nistelrooy – Manchester United – 01/02 – 10 goals (in 14 games)
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16 Filippo Inzaghi – AC Milan – 02/03 – 10 goals (in 14 games)
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16 Rivaldo – FC Barcelona – 99/00 – 10 goals (in 14 games)
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16 Lionel Messi – Barcelona – 14/15 – 10 goals (in 13 games)
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16 Kaká – AC Milan – 06/07 – 10 goals (in 13 games)
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16 Robert Lewandowski – Borussia Dortmund – 12/13 – 10 goals (in 13 games)
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16 Mohamed Salah – Liverpool – 17/18 – 10 goals (in 13 games)
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16 Roberto Firmino – Liverpool FC – 17/18 – 10 goals (in 13 games)
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16 Jardel – FC Porto – 99/00 – 10 goals (in 13 games)
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16 Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid – 14/15 – 10 goals (in 12 games)
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16 Neymar – Barcelona – 14/15 – 10 goals (in 12 games)
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16 Sadio Mané – Liverpool FC – 17/18 – 10 goals (in 11 games)
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16 Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid – 11/12 – 10 goals (in 10 games)
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16 Alessandro Del Piero – Juventus – 97/98 – 10 goals (in 10 games)
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16 Erling Haaland – Borussia Dortmund – 10 goals (in 8 games)
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16 Zlatan Ibrahimovic – PSG – 13/14 – 10 goals (in 8 games)
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16 Erling Haaland – Borussia Dortmund/Salzburg – 19/20 – 10 goals (in 8 games)
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13 Lionel Messi – Barcelona – 16/17 – 11 goals (in 9 games)
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13 Karim Benzema – Real Madrid – 21/22 – 11 goals (in 8 games)
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13 Sébastien Haller – Ajax Amsterdam – 21/22 – 11 goals (in 8 games)
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6 Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid – 16/17 – 12 goals (in 13 games)
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6 Lionel Messi – Barcelona – 10/11 – 12 goals (in 13 games)
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6 Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid – 12/13 – 12 goals (in 12 games)
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6 Mario Gómez – Bayern Munich – 11/12 – 12 goals (in 12 games)
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6 Lionel Messi – Barcelona – 18/19 – 12 goals (in 10 games)
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6 Ruud van Nistelrooy – Manchester United – 02/03 – 12 goals (in 9 games)
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6 Robert Lewandowski – Bayern Munich – 21/22 – 12 goals (in 9 games)
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5 Lionel Messi – Barcelona – 11/12 – 14 goals (in 11 games)
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3 Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid – 17/18 – 15 goals (in 13 games)
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3 Robert Lewandowski – Bayern Munich – 19/20 – 15 goals (in 9 games)
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2 Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid – 15/16 – 16 goals (in 12 games)
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1 Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid – 13/14 – 17 goals (in 11 games)
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His goals in the 21st, 24th and 46th minutes – following a blatant error by Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy – were Benzema’s number nine, ten and eleven Champions League goals this season. Only Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski has more in the current round. The Pole is at twelve. Ronaldo holds the record at 17, which Lewandowski had already stalked in 2012/20 (16). Benzema meanwhile not only shone as an executor on Wednesday evening, but also created a lot of space for his teammates with clever passes and runs.
Benzema’s six-score in 75 minutes – “These goals are really important”
“What he does is unbelievable,” ex-Bayern professional David Alaba praised after the game (quoted via dpa). “He’s having the season of his life, is very focused and hungry to score goals.” It’s the past few weeks in particular that have made this impression manifest. The national player had already snapped three times in the previous Champions League match against PSG, because he started scoring after an hour of play and 75 minutes later, in the 46th minute against Chelsea, completed his six-pack across the board. Since March, Benzema has scored eleven times in five competitive games (on Benzema’s season record).
Against the Londoners, the first headed goal was technically demanding, the second just as difficult and the third goal by foot Benzema was wide awake. “Those three goals are really important. I’m most excited about the third because I missed a chance in the first half and I was thinking about it,” Benzema said after his gala at Stamford Bridge. “We went into the game wanting to win and if Madrid take that approach it’s very positive for us.”
Benzema draws level with Haller: Best Champions League goalscorers 2021/22
Darwin Nunez | Benfica | 5 goals in 9 games
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As of April 6, 2022
Lionel Messi | PSG | 5 goals in 7 games
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Arnaut Danjuma | Villareal | 6 goals in 9 games
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Riyadh Mahrez | Man City | 6 goals in 9 games
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Kylian Mbappe | PSG | 6 goals in 8 games
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Leroy Sané | Bayern Munich | 6 goals in 9 games
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Cristiano Ronaldo | United | 6 goals in 7 games
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Christopher Nkunku | RB Leipzig | 7 goals in 6 games
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Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 8 goals in 9 games
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Karim Benzema | Madrid | 11 goals in 8 games
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Sebastien Haller | Ajax Amsterdam | 11 goals in 8 games
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