Benzema still reigns in Madrid after spoiling Mbappé party

Madrid, March 10 (BUS): There was a time when Karim Benzema was mocked by Real Madrid fans for not using all his talent, for not scoring enough goals, for not rising to the challenge, according to the Associated Press.

Although he has silenced most of his critics in recent years, no one can doubt the France striker once again having carved his name into the club’s long Champions League tradition.

Benzema scored a hat-trick in just 18 minutes on Wednesday night to topple the stunning Paris Saint-Germain and keep the Spanish club in contention for the European Cup and La Liga title.

Over the course of a game and a half, Kylian Mbappe led Paris Saint-Germain to a landslide victory with an excellent two-goal display that showed why both rivals so desperately wanted to have the brightest footballing star in the squad next season.

That was until Benzema drove Real Madrid hard in the second half to a 3-2 win on aggregate.

Paris Saint-Germain is once again left with the Ligue 1 only to play for after another European failure despite the efforts of its Qatari owners to assemble the world’s most talented attacker with the addition of Lionel Messi in the summer to play alongside Mbappe and Neymar.

The defeat came five years after Paris Saint-Germain suffered a sudden collapse in the second leg at Camp Nou when Barcelona made history with a 6-1 victory.

Led by Benzema, Real Madrid have now gained some massive momentum as they look to double their potential 14th European Cup title and bid to reclaim the La Liga title.

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In the three and a half seasons that have passed since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema has established himself as the undisputed captain of Real Madrid thanks to his goals and personality on the field.

While Messi, who is 34 like Benzema, has his best years behind him, Benzema has only improved.

Benzema scored 30 goals in 33 games this season with Real Madrid. He leads the Spanish league with 20 goals, seven goals behind his closest pursuers.

A hat-trick against PSG made him the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League in 34 years and 80 days. It also made him rise above Alfredo Di Stefano to the third place in the club’s all-time top scorer with 309 goals.

Benzema helped Real Madrid win the league title two seasons ago. With defending champions Atletico Madrid and Barcelona slowing by 15 points, only Sevilla remain within realistic offensive distance to block Madrid from adding 34 titles to their record.

Mbappe must now decide whether to stay in Paris or move to the Spanish capital. Some Real Madrid fans applauded when he was presented ahead of Wednesday’s game, hoping he could become their next star.

But it was Benzema who proved that Real Madrid really have what they need to win titles now.

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