Top five records held by Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema

The French ace continues to get better with age

Karim Benzema is one of the best players of his generation. The Frenchman is among the few footballers to have improved as their career has progressed. Even at 34, the forward is a talisman for Real Madrid. The France international leads the line for Los Blancos and has been instrumental in their recent success. Benzema has been in sensational form and continues to break and make records.

Born to Algerian parents, the Frenchman began his career at Lyon. He rose to fame with Real Madrid and has been one of their best players. The striker has led Real Madrid since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure in 2018. Karim Benzema played a crucial role in Los Blancos’ La Liga triumph in 2019-20. He has also been brilliant this season, as the Madrid side are set to another league title win.

Let’s have a look at the major records held by Karim Benzema

5. Only player with a UCL hat-trick against Chelsea

The Premier League side are giants of world football. They have won the Champions League title twice. Chelsea are known for their astute defence and being one of the most organized sides. This has seen the club restrict attackers from scoring a treble against them, until now.

Karim Benzema became the first player to score a hat-trick against Chelsea. The Frenchman netted three times in their quarterfinal encounter in the 2021-22 season.

4. Scoring in most consecutive UCL seasons

Karim Benzema is one of the best players of his time. The Frenchman has scored a plethora of goals in his career. But, more impressive than that is his longevity. He's scored in 17 consecutive UEFA Champions League seasons, the joint-most.

The French international has scored for Real Madrid and Olympique Lyon in the competition. He has netted from the 2005/06 to 2021/22 season. This record is only equalled by Lionel Messi.

3. Most goals by a Frenchman in single UCL season

Karim Benzema holds the record for scoring the most goals by a French player in the UEFA Champions League. The Real Madrid man is enjoying his best season in front of goal. He has netted 11 goals in the European competition in this campaign.

The striker’s tally of 11 is the highest by a Frenchman in the competition. No other footballer from the country has managed to hit the double-figure mark in the Champions League. Just Fontaine scored 10 goals in the 1958/59 season in the European Cup. This was before the competition was rebranded.

2. Oldest player to score UCL hat-trick

Karim Benzema continues to get better with age. The French forward has been sensational late into his career. He is the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League.

The Real Madrid star first achieved the feat against PSG in the second leg of their tie in the 2021-22 season. At 34 years and 80 days, he became the oldest player to score three goals in a single game in a Champions League match. Benzema then surpassed the record with his treble against Chelsea. The Frenchman was 34 years and 108 days old at the time.

1. Most goals by a Frenchman in football

Karim Benzema is one of the best footballers ever produced by France. His goalscoring stats back the claim. The striker holds the record of scoring the most goals by a French player in football history.

The Frenchman has scored 418 goals in competitive football. 316 of them have come for Real Madrid and 66 for Olympique Lyon. Karim Benzema has also scored 36 times for the France national team.

He took the record this season from former Arsenal and France great Thierry Henry. The retired footballer had netted 411 goals in his illustrious career.

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