“With C ristiano, I changed my style, I played for him”
For many, Karim Benzema being a considered world-class striker is not news. In fact, the Frenchman has always had a cult-like following, which for a long time has argued that he should be given far more credit for Real Madrid’s achievements over the past decade than he has, and that sentiment only seems to be growing. While playing with Cristiano Ronaldo between 2009 and 2018, Benzema perfectly understood his role. He was the dummy run, the chance creator, the player who would largely go unnoticed but was vitally important to the team’s structure, shape and attacking ideas. He often acknowledged that he adapted his game to suit Ronaldo, and to help him shine, candidly saying in an interview in 2020, “With Cristiano, I changed my style, I played for him. I had someone who did double or triple my goals and I had to
adapt. I thought it wouldn’t cost me anything, I just had to change my way of playing and pass it on to him more. I put my goal scoring aside.” While it is perhaps natural and fun to imagine what might have been for Benzema’s career had he not been so happy to play second fiddle to Ronaldo for the best part of 10 years given his current form, it is probably more enjoyable to marvel at his professionalism and selflessness, and appreciate he is where he is today due to his understanding of the importance of playing for the team.
Benzema and Ronaldo both arrived at Real in the transfer window before the 2009/10 season got underway, along with some other marquee signings. Xabi Alonso was signed from Liverpool. Kaka was lured to the club from AC Milan. At the time, the budding young French forward was among the hottest prospects in world football and had several clubs, most notably Manchester United, chasing his signature before he decided to continue his development at arguably the biggest and most well-known side the sport has seen. In his native France, Benzema had become untouchable as he helped inspire Lyon to seven trophies in the four senior campaigns he spent competing in the country’s top division. He contributed to 93 goals in 148 matches for Lyon, all before turning 22 years old.
Life started slowly in Spain for
Benzema, who scored just nine goals in his debut season at Real in a campaign the European giants crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the hands of his former club and finished second in LaLiga behind Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. Competing with the likes of Ronaldo, an ageing Raul Gonzalez, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Gonzalo Higuain, the Frenchman bided his time on the sidelines and was more often than not utilised from the bench, but the following campaign would be entirely different as Benzema got his name on the score sheet 26 times as Los Blancos claimed the 2010/11 Copa del Rey title, his first trophy in Spain. In the 2011/12 campaign, Benzema notched 32 goals in all competitions but crucially chipped in with a further 19 assists as it became increasingly important to prove that he was far more than a goalscoring striker but a well-rounded footballer whose significance in the team stretched far beyond his ability to put the ball into the back of the net. That season was the last in which he would reach the 30-goal mark while playing alongside Ronaldo, whose alien-like ruthlessness in front of goal quickly saw him become recognised as one of the sport’s all-time greats as he raced his way to four Ballon d’Or awards between 2013 and 2017. Benzema was there, though, in the background, going fairly under the radar. From the 2012/13 to the 2017/18 season, he scored an impressive 125 goals in 231 matches to help reinforce Real’s place in football as the most successful team in the history of Europe’s elite club competition.