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What's the story?
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has surpassed his former team-mate and Los Blancos legend Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of league goals this season after a sensational hat-trick against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Sunday. He now has 21 league goals this season, while Ronaldo has managed 19 so far in the Seria A for Juventus.
In case you didn't know...
Real Madrid have been rejuvenated since the return of Zinedine Zidane to the helm, with the club securing four wins out of six games under his stewardship. No other player has benefitted as much as Benzema since Zidane's return, with the French striker putting his poor last season behind him. Zidane's return has also seen Real Madrid consolidate their 3rd position in La Liga standings, maintaining a healthy 10-point lead over 4th placed Getafe.
On the other hand, Ronaldo is having an underwhelming season going by his lofty standards, having already seen his new team being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by AFC Ajax and from the Coppa Italia by Atalanta. In the Seria A scoring charts, the mercurial Portuguese goal machine finds himself in an unfamiliar 4th position, behind Sampdoria's Fabio Quagliarella, AC Milan's Krzysztof Piątek and Atalanta's Duvan Zapata. Juventus, however, wrapped up their 8th Scudetto on the bounce with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina on Saturday.
The heart of the matter
Benzema has been the lone spark in a dismal campaign for Real Madrid which has seen them being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League as well as the Copa del Rey, with sworn rivals Barcelona seemingly running away with the Spanish league title. Benzema has grown into his role as the attacking spearhead of Real Madrid since Ronaldo's departure and Gareth Bale's dip in form. The French striker had broken another record earlier this season, becoming the first player in La Liga history to score against every La Liga team he has faced, a feat not even accomplished by Lionel Messi!
Benzema opened the scoring against Athletic Bilbao with a fantastic header in the 46th minute, latching onto a Marcos Asensio cross. He then doubled Los Blancos' lead in the 76th minute before completing his hat-trick in the 90th minute by chipping the ball over the keeper, who had charged out of the penalty box.
He has now scored 21 league goals this season and is currently seventh in the race for the European Golden Shoe. Ronaldo is 11th in the list, with the Portuguese thus far scoring 19 goals in La Liga. Lionel Messi with his 33 La Liga goals currently leads the charts.
What's next?
Real Madrid will next face Getafe in an away La Liga fixture on Thursday.
