Real Madrid star Karim Benzema 'the most complete striker,' says former French manager

Karim Benzema will arguably end his career as one of the best strikers to play for Real Madrid. The French striker has made a total 502 appearances for Los Blancos and is among the most successful players at Real Madrid, having won the La Liga and Copa del Rey twice and the UEFA Champions League four times.

Since his move to Spain in 2009, Benzema has scored 241 goals for Real Madrid and is fourth overall on the list of players with most goals for the club, behind legends like Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul, and Alfredo di Stefano.

Former French coach Raymond Domenech recently spoke to L'Equipe about Karim Benzema. Domenech praised the striker and regarded him as one of the most complete players in that forward position.

Real Madrid played a key role in developing Benzema

Karim Benzema will complete his 11 years at Real Madrid this July.

Real Madrid acquired Karim Benzema in July 2009, when the Los Blancos paid a hefty sum of €35 million to bring him to the Spanish capital from Lyon. Domenech spoke about how Real Madrid shaped the French striker, into what he is today.

"Benzema is not an assassin (referring to a scorer). He is a bit of a chameleon, he needs to touch the ball. He was molded by Real Madrid. He came from Lyon in the rough,"

He then continued,

"He was a sporting phenomenon. Mentally, he is strong. There he will remain between great players like [Michel] Platini at Juventus or [Eric] Cantona at Manchester United. Benzema is the most complete French striker at the moment because he does a little bit of everything,"

Domenech talks about the difference between Karim Benzema and PSG striker Kylian Mbappe

Domenech believes that Mbappe still has a long way to go.

Domenech believes Karim Benzema still has a lot to give to the game of football. The former French manager compared the 32-year-old striker with French sensation Kylian Mbappe.

"The advantage that he has over Mbappé, for example, is that he is ten years old older. He had another career. Mbappé, in ten years, may have the same technical background,"

The former French national team manager feels that Benzema has a lot of experience to back him up, while there is still time to see where Mbappe takes his career. He also added that,

"Benzema is able to play, make efforts, create movement for others and use others to put himself in a position to score. He really found his place in these nine and a half years. He has more intelligence when traveling compared to the others,"

Real Madrid hope to win the LaLiga Santander, with just ten games left

Real Madrid defeated Eibar 3-1 in their first fixture after the return of the league.

Real Madrid hope to clinch the LaLiga Santander title and have been pushing themselves hard to close the two-point gap they have with arch-rivals Barcelona, who are currently leading the points table.

Real Madrid have played 28 games this season, in which they have managed to accumulate 59 points. In total the Los Blancos have won 17 of their La Liga fixtures this season, while 8 of them ended as a draw.

Real Madrid thrashed Eibar 3-1 last weekend, in what was their first match back after La Liga's 2-month suspension. Zinedine Zidane's men got off to a fast start, scoring all three of their goals in the first half before Pedro Bigas got one back for the away team midway through the second half.