3. Benzema starting to grow in stature
Although he was bought for big money in 2009, in the same window Cristiano Ronaldo was, there is a sense that Karim Benzema hasn’t always felt wanted at the Santiago Bernabeu. He was often the scapegoat for the fans, who wanted to lash out their frustration at the players. The Frenchman also didn’t have a particularly great understanding with all of the coaches who have been in charge since then. But it is finally looking as though the winds of change are blowing through.
With his goal in the Clasico, the 26-year-old now has six goals from his last four games, on the back of a slow start to the season that saw him score only two goals in his opening nine games of the season for the club. While goals aren’t really a problem, when you have Ronaldo in your team, what is really nice to see is that Benzema is linking up well with the likes of Ronaldo and Bale and has been very much involved in the game, whether it is tracking back, scoring goals or creating assists. Finally, perhaps for the first time since his arrival at the club, the Frenchman feels loved and that can only be a good thing.