The smile is frank. Karim Benzema is having a particularly successful season. Between his return to the France team marked by a success in the League of Nations, the performances of a Real Madrid which prances at the top of La Liga and of course, the hat-trick in the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League against Paris Saint- Germain, everything suits him. Real boss of a Real Madrid of which he became the third top scorer in history, KB9 does not hesitate to project himself on the continuation of the Champions League and obviously does not hide how much he gets along with Kylian Mbappé that Real Madrid is doing everything to recruit.
PSG was the team he particularly feared
A happy memory that Karim Benzema still thinks about. The images of the round of 16 return against Paris Saint-Germain still tense the Parisian players and their supporters, it is obviously very different seen from Madrid. And for good reason. During this stunning return match, Karim Benzema was exceptional in offering himself a hat-trick. And he always believed in it. Even after a one-way match in favor of the capital club (1-0) and 1-0 in favor of the Parisians in the second leg…”When we scored, they said to themselves that they had lost the match, when there was only 1-1 … That often happens to them, they let go mentally, ”he confided in the columns of L’Equipe.
From now on, Real will face Chelsea with unfailing confidence. “There is no favourite. It’s a very good team, we’ll go there to look for a good result, ”explains Benzema, who is considering the end of the Champions League without fearing a particular club. Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Liverpool or even Chelsea, each time, he already seems to have a solution in mind. Regarding Guardiola’s team, he explains: “their objective is to keep the ball and make a long possession in the opposing camp. But they have not yet fallen against a team that attacks them well behind the back… It’s quite a strategy to play against them”, for Bayern, he considers that if they score a lot, they also collect a lot of goals. “Sometimes they suffer counterattacks where they are two defenders against four attackers”, he specifies before concluding: “The team that scared me the most was Paris. »
His love for the France team
Back in the France team after 5 years of absence, Karim Benzema savors every moment within a very first level collective which obviously aims for victory at the next World Cup. For him, this return was experienced as a deliverance, with in particular success in the League of Nations.
“All the players are in big European clubs and there is a great wealth of profiles. All players are different and that is what is very interesting. . There is plenty of choice in blue: you can put three attackers, or three others, ”explains a Benzema who can effectively team up with Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembélé, Olivier Giroud, Wissam Ben Yedder and of course a Kylian Mbappé who takes a growing place in the attacking potential of the Blues.
Kylian Mbappé at Real, he is a fan
This is the question that burns the lips of everyone in football. Where will Kylian Mbappé play next season? Paris Saint-Germain is doing everything to keep him when Real Madrid seeks to enlist him for a long time. Karim Benzema, he does not hide how much he would like to play with him in club … “Yes, I say it often. I like playing with him in national team and I would like to play with him in club. I think we would score double the goals. Or maybe even triple! (Laughs.),” he insists. Its leaders, too, are convinced of this.
