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Former Real Madrid manager Fabio Capello has heaped praise on Karim Benzema following his hat-trick against Chelsea. The Italian tactician also compared the Frenchman to Los Blancos legend Alfredo Di Stefano.
Los Blancos took on the Blues at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash on Wednesday night. The Whites’ undisputed talisman, Benzema, put the visitors ahead with a glorious header in the 21st minute, before doubling his tally three minutes later.
The 34-year-old completed his hat-trick in the 46th minute, capitalizing on a mixup between Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy and Antonio Rudiger.
The footballing world has been left astonished by Benzema’s exploits at the Bridge, and legendary manager Capello is no exception. The Italian reserved high praise for the No. 9, claiming that his on-field talents reminded him of the great Di Stefano.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the 75-year-old manager said (via Marca):
"A total striker, he reminds me of Di Stéfano. To youngsters he may not say anything, but for those who know football he says a lot. He participates in creation, scores great goals and is a leader on the pitch."
Di Stefano ruled Spanish and European football for 11 long years in the 1950s and 60s. He helped the club to five consecutive Champions League (erstwhile European Cup) triumphs between 1955 and 1960 and scored a whopping 308 goals for Los Blancos.
Benzema, whose hat-trick inspired Real Madrid to a 3-1 win at Chelsea, has scored 316 goals for the Spanish giants. He crossed Di Stefano’s tally last month itself when he scored a tie-winning hat-trick against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg.
Karim Benzema becomes second player in Champions League history to score consecutive knockout hat-tricks
In the second week of March, Karim Benzema scored a Round of 16 second-leg hat-trick to propel Madrid to a 3-2 aggregate win over PSG.
On Wednesday night, he scored another treble in a knockout fixture, becoming only the second player in Champions League history to net consecutive knockout-round hat-tricks.
His former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to achieve this unique feat in the 2016-17 campaign.
The Portuguese ace scored a hat-trick in the quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich to condemn the Bavarians to a 4-2 aggregate defeat. He then repeated his heroics in the semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid, leading his side to a 3-0 win.
Real Madrid eventually ended up winning the Champions League that season, becoming the first team in history to defend the trophy in its current format.
