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Real Madrid custodian Thibaut Courtois believes Karim Benzema is the best No.9 in the world and should have finished higher on the Ballon d’Or list in 2021.
Benzema inspired the Whites to a come-from-behind win over Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Round of 16 Champions League tie on Wednesday.
After losing the first leg 1-0, Real Madrid went 2-0 down on aggregate in the tie after another Kylian Mbappe goal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Los Blancos were staring down the barrel, but Benzema decided to turn the tie on its head by scoring a second-half hat-trick. A shell-shocked PSG never recovered as Real Madrid made it a night to remember.
Benzema finished fourth in the race for the Ballon d’Or in 2021, behind Robert Lewandowski. The Pole was the only other striker in the top five.
Courtois, however, believes that the Frenchman is currently the best striker in the world and should be higher on the Ballon d’Or list.
The Belgian said after the game:
"Karim Benzema is the best number 9 in the world. Lewandowski also scored 3 goals yesterday, but 2 penalties... today Benzema showed why he should be higher in the Ballon d’Or this year."
"Karim was running, fighting, even limping!", he added.
PSG could not deal with the Real Madrid forward’s all-round display
The Parisians failed to deal with Karim Benzema’s threat up top as he interlinked well with the likes of Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric and Rodrygo.
The Frenchman led the press well as PSG were often caught napping while trying to play out from the back. Subsequently, Carlo Ancelotti’s side won the ball high up the pitch several times in the second half.
The hat-trick was well deserved as Benzema put in a complete center-forward’s display that should serve as a benchmark for other strikers.
The three goals helped him go level with Mohamed Salah on eight goals for the season in the Champions League.
Lewandowski is at the top of the scoring charts courtesy of his hat-trick against Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday. He will take some stopping in the quarter-finals.
