Ilkay: We’ll be facing top striker on planet
ILKAY GUNDOGAN has warned Manchester City to beware Real Madrid’s gleaming Benz.
Gundogan has hailed Karim Benzema, 34, as the “best striker in the world” after seeing the Frenchman step out of Cristiano Ronaldo’s massive shadow.
As City prepare to host Real in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night, Gundogan said: “Benzema is absolutely fantastic.
“In my opinion, people have under-estimated him too much in recent years and now he’s proving them wrong.
“He was also decisive before, but he was overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo, especially in the media.
“It’s impressive how he keeps performing at this level for so long.
“For me, he’s currently the best striker in the world – together with Robert Lewandowski.
“Of course, it’s not only him who is a threat for them. They have Luka Modric, Vinicius Junior, Toni Kroos, David Alaba – we are aware of that.”
Benzema has scored 44 goals this season, including Champions League hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
Gundogan, 31, has lost two Champions League finals including last May when City were beaten 1-0 in Porto by Chelsea.
The German midfielder, 31, said: “It’s definitely a big goal for me personally – but also for us as a team.
“After losing the final last year, we’ve grown and improved. But it’s not just about the Champions League trophy.
“We have another important goal – the Premier League title.
“Facing Real is definitely a tough one but it’s the semi-finals so every opponent would have been tough.
“Real knocked out PSG, they knocked out Chelsea – that shows how strong they are this season.”