Arsene Wenger believes Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is producing the best form of his career at 34 years of age because he is now a 'real athlete'.
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is perhaps in the form of his life. The Frenchman took his goalscoring tally for the season to 43 on Wednesday night after netting a crucial penalty against Manchester City that helped the Los Blancos book yet another Champions League final berth. At 34, what is Benzema's key to success? Arsene Wenger provides an interesting insight.
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The former Arsenal manager believes Benzema is producing the best form of his career because the Madrid star is now a 'real athlete'. The 2021-22 season has been a dream for the France international as his devastating form has helped Carlo Ancelotti's men to bag their 35th La Liga title and reach the May 28 Champions League final in Paris.
Arsene Wenger has attributed Benzema's mid-30s improvement to weight loss, claiming the Real Madrid striker had 'two or three kilos too many' up until the age of 30. "It is something interesting that we are seeing across Europe now: the oldest strikers are the most efficient," the former Arsenal manager said on beIN SPORTS.
"Robert Lewandowski, Benzema, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, they are scoring goals at 35 and 40. The best strikers in Europe are all over 30 years of age. They use every opponent's mistake. Benzema, I would say, until 30, had two or three kilos too many. Now he's a real athlete and that's why today, certainly, he's one of the two or three best strikers in the world," Wenger added.
Benzema, pegged to clinch this year's Ballon d'Or, has been Real Madrid's crucial driving force for their remarkable run in the Champions League, which also saw them topple Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City under the most dramatic circumstances.
The Frenchman scored back-to-back hat-tricks in their last-16 second leg against PSG and quarter-final first leg at Stamford Bridge, before also getting on the scoresheet in their decider against the Blues. The veteran then followed that up by firing home a brace in last week's opening 4-3 defeat against City, which preceded his winning penalty on Wednesday night.
"I would say he's (Benzema) a demonstration of intelligence and efficiency. Everything he does is intelligent and looks simple. When I see him play, I think I could do the same. He smells the rhythm of the game like nobody else," Wenger concluded.