Benzema offers himself a hat-trick and a record!

Distanced from the race for the title of champion of Spain, Real Madrid was able to count on a great Karim Benzema to dominate Almeria.

Four days after an unexpected setback on the lawn of Girona (2-4), the start of Real Madrid was expected this Saturday on the occasion of the arrival of Almeria, in Santiago-Bernabeu, counting for the 32nd day of La Liga. Despite two new goals conceded, Carlo Ancelotti’s Merengue secured the essentials with a 4-2 victory, a success largely due to the returning Karim Benzema.

Injured and absent against Girona, the French striker was the major architect of the victory for Casa Blanca. The former Lyonnais scored a resounding hat-trick (5th, 17th, 42nd from the penalty spot), to bring his total to 17 goals in 21 La Liga games since the start of the 2022-2023 season. In all competitions, the former Lyonnais has scored 29 goals in 37 games played. A good omen for the White House in anticipation of the long-awaited semi-final first leg of the Champions League against the English of Manchester City, on May 9.

236 La Liga goals

With this hat-trick, Karim Benzema breaks a prestigious record, that of the number of goals scored in La Liga by legend Hugo Sanchez. With 236 goals in 436 games in the Spanish league since coming from Lyon in the summer of 2009, the 2022 Ballon d’Or becomes the fourth top scorer in La Liga history, behind Telmo Zarra. (253 goals) whose brand is now in great danger by the end of this exercise. On the other hand, the 311 goals of the Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo, with Real Madrid, and the 474 achievements of Lionel Messi, when the Argentine star then wore the shirt of FC Barcelona, ​​seem inaccessible.

Before challenging the Citizens, Real Madrid will face Real Sociedad in La Liga (May 2) and Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final (May 6).