Karim Benzema eclipses Madrid legend Raul to become 2nd highest goal-scorer after Ronaldo

The reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid earned a 2-0 victory against Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night and won the UEFA Super Cup title. While David Alaba opened the game's scoresheet with a goal in the 37th minute, French footballer and a strong contender for Ballon d'Or, Karim Benzema doubled Madrid’s lead to 2-0 in the 65th minute. The Real Madrid captain became the talk of the town for his goal, which made him surpass legendary footballer Raul Gonzalez’s overall goal tally for Real Madrid and became the 2nd most highest-scorer for the team.

The Spanish footballer Raul, who currently manages Real Madrid’s reserve team, scored 323 goals for Madrid in over 730 games across competitions from 1994 to 2010. Benzema’s strike at the 65th minute of the UEFA Super Cup match took his tally to 324 as he now finds himself placed behind Cristiano Ronaldo. During his time with the club from 2009 to 2018, Ronaldo scored a whopping total of 450 goals and became one of the greatest players ever to represent the team. 

Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009

It is pertinent to mention that 34-year-old Benzema is currently the top player for the team. Benzema scored a total of 44 goals for Madrid across competitions in the 2021-22 season, which included 27 goals in 32 La Liga games. He scored 15 goals in the UEFA Champions League winning campaign while scoring two goals in two Supercopa matches. Interestingly, Benzema and Ronaldo joined Madrid together in 2009. 

Benzema played under the shadow of Ronaldo for years as both players went on to win two La Liga titles, one Cope del Rey and four Champions League titles together. Ronaldo opted for a transfer to Italian giants Juventus in 2018 after lifting his 4th UCL title with Madrid, whereas, Benzema continued to play for the Spanish club. However, since Ronaldo left Madrid, the French footballer has stepped up his game and contributed heavily to the team. 

Karim Benzema's rise after Cristiano Ronaldo's exit from Real Madrid

While Benzema hit 5 goals in 32 games in La Liga 2017-18, he scored 21 goals and 7 assists in 36 games next season. Continuing his stellar run, the 34-year-old scored 21 goals in 37 UCL games in the 2019-20 season and followed up with 23 goals in 34 games in the 2020-21 season. He finally led Madrid to a LaLiga title win in the 2021-22 season, before claiming his 5th Champions League title with the team.