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Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema scored a sensational hat trick against Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Wednesday (April 5), something Cristiano Ronaldo failed to do during his time in Spain.
Real Madrid visited the Camp Nou for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Barcelona on Wednesday (April 5) night. Looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg, the Whites needed something special to book their place in the final. Their captain Karim Benzema led by example, scoring a hat-trick to inflict a 4-0 defeat on the Blaugrana in their own backyard. Vinicius Junior scored the other goal for Madrid.
Benzema’s hat trick at the Camp Nou was one for the history books, as he became only the second Real Madrid player to achieve the feat. Club legend Ferenc Puskas became the first in 1963. Benzema's three-peat is the first time a Los Blancos player scored a hat-trick against the Blaugrana since Ivan Zamorano in 1995.
Los Merengues’ record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo scored a mammoth 450 goals in 438 games between 2009 and 2018 in the Spanish capital, but he never scored a treble against Barca. Ronaldo faced Barcelona 30 times as a Madrid player, scoring 18 times and claiming three assists.
Ronaldo’s heroics helped Real Madrid to only eight wins. The two teams played out eight draws, while the Blaugrana came out on top 18 times. The Portuguese's former strike partner Benzema has scored 16 goals and claimed 11 assists in 46 games against Barcelona. He has lost 21 times, drawn ten times and won on 11 occasions.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti backs Karim Benzema to win another Ballon d’Or after Barcelona hat-trick
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has heaped praise on Karim Benzema after his hat-trick fired Madrid into the Copa del Rey final.
The Italian claimed that Benzema, who had struggled for form and fitness this season, is back and backed him to win another Ballon d’Or award.
At a press conference, Ancelotti said (via TheMadridZone):
“Benzema is back. He's back. Another Ballon d’Or for Karim? Why not?.”
Wednesday’s hat-trick marked Benzema’s second on the spin, having also bagged a treble in Sunday (April 2)'s 6-0 routing of Real Valladolid. The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner has featured in 31 games for Madrid across competitions, scoring 25 times and providing six assists.
Lionel Messi is the frontrunner to win the Ballon d’Or this year, courtesy of his heroics with Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He has also performed admirably for Paris Saint-Germain this season, scoring 18 times and providing 17 assists in 33 games across competitions.
