Karim Benzema has flourished at the age of 33 at Real Madrid after many previous stars parted ways with Los Blancos. Benzema finally emerged as a true leader on the pitch and a lethal attacker capable of delivering splendid displays and scoring some incredible goals.The new ‘El Clasico’ is approaching, Barcelona and Real Madrid will clash on October 24, and for the first time after 17 years, we won’t see Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo on the turf.Benzema, the man they trust the most in Madrid, believes that ‘El Clasico’ is still the best match in the world of football, even though Cristiano and Messi no longer take part in it. Their absence does not change anything because it is the derby of all derbies.”Everything is still the same for me. ‘El Clasico’ remains the best match that exists in football. It doesn’t matter which players will play or who has left… The games between Real Madrid and Barcelona are historic,” Benzema told ESPN.Messi holds the record for the number of goals scored against Real Madrid. The Paris Saint-Germain star scored 18 goals in ‘El Clasico’ while playing for Barcelona – from 2004 to 2021. On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo netted nine times during his three-year-long stint at Bernabeu. Players and coaches come and go, but the match itself remains what it is.”Names are changing. ‘El Clasico’ used to be embellished by Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Luis Nazario da Lima, Samuel Eto’o. The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona will always be the same, no matter who is on the pitch. “Lionel Messi’s El Clasico record is PSYCHOTIC. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/qvac3vaWsf— L/M Football (@lmfootbalI) October 15, 2021 Barcelona are fighting a severe debt and have opened the season badly – they did not win a single point in the Champions League – they lost to Benfica and Bayern – and in La Liga, they are already five points behind second-placed Real Madrid. But the derby is something different. At that moment, all the results are irrelevant.”It is never the right time to play against them. A team like Barca or any other top team can play badly, but that quickly turns around. It’s a game we can’t take for granted, even if they haven’t played well so far. “Benzema – Real Madrid’s guardian angelA list of 30 nominees in the shortlist for the Ballon d’Or was recently leaked. Among them is Karim Benzema, and the legendary Ronaldo Nazario pointed out that Benzema is his favourite for the prestigious award. If the Real Madrid striker wins it, he will become the first French player to lift the trophy after Zinedine Zidane.##NAJAVA_MECA_5898753##”Winning the Ballon d’Or was my boyhood dream, and it is still a great motivation. If you look at who is on the shortlist, it’s amazing. Winning the Ballon d’Or has always been my goal. You could say I’m close now. I have played great in the previous three or four years, and I would like to continue playing at a high level. “
