Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane on Tuesday hailed Karim Benzema as the best centerforward in French history after his match-winning double against Athletic Bilbao put them joint top of La Liga.
Benzema headed home a cross from Dani Carvajal with 16 minutes remaining to put Real ahead against battling Bilbao, who had fought back to level earlier, having lost Raul Garcia to two quick-fire bookings in opening minutes.
Toni Kroos had given the hosts the lead in Madrid with a thumping strike on the stroke of halftime, but Ander Capa rocked the capital club six minutes after the break when he shot past Thibaut Courtois at the second time of asking.
Photo: AP
However, the 32-year-old Benzema had other ideas, putting his team in front before making sure of the points in stoppage-time with a clinical finish after collecting Luka Modric’s pass.
Afterward Zidane had no hesitation in declaring Benzema as France’s best ever centerforward, putting him at the top of a list that includes Thierry Henry, Kylian Mbappe, Jean-Pierre Papin and Just Fontaine.
“For me, he’s the best — it’s very clear,” said Zidane, the French midfield legend who won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000 with Les Bleus.
“He’s proved it — he’s played at Real Madrid for a very long time, he has more than 500 appearances, all his goals ... his record, all he’s accomplished here speaks for itself,” Zidane added.
Benzema arrived at Real Madrid from Lyon in 2009, but was long overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo until the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s move to Juventus in 2018.
On Saturday, Benzema’s 529th match for Real, he broke Roberto Carlos’ record for the most appearances by a non-Spanish player. Benzema is also the team’s top scorer this season.
“He’s a more mature player these days, but he’s always shown that he’s not a pure nine, he doesn’t only think about scoring” Zidane said.
“That’s why I like him so much; I love him, he’s not only thinking about goals. He gets involved in the game, if he needs to pass to a teammate he’ll do it,” he added.
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