Karim Benzema makes his 150th appearances in the UEFA Champions League tonight against Chelsea in the second leg of the quarter finals in Stamford Bridge.
Starting in Lyon in France, Benzema has gone on to be one of best strikers in Europe over the years especially after his move to Real Madrid in 2009.
Karim Benzema has marked himself as one of the UCL greats. Being the fourth highest goalscorer in UCL with 190 goals.
Highest apperance in the UEFA Champions League:
- 183 Cristiano Ronaldo (Man United 59, Real Madrid 101, Juventus 23)
- 177 Iker Casillas (Real Madrid 150, Porto 27)
- 163 Lionel Messi (Barcelona 149, Paris Saint-Germain 14)*
- 157 Xavi Hernández (Barcelona)
- 151 Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
- 150 Karim Benzema (Lyon 19, Real Madrid 131)*
Benzema has recently extended his contract at Real Madrid for a year, keeping him in the club till 2024. The French striker's deal at Madrid expires on June 30, but various sources at the club and others who are close to Benzema have told The Athletic he will stay at the Santiago Bernabeu for another season.
Benzema has been Real's main star since Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus in 2018, while his relationship with the board could not be better. The 35-year-old is Real's second-highest scorer of all-time with 341 goals in 632 appearances, behind only Ronaldo who has 450 goals in 438 games.
Some reports in Spain from October claimed that Benzema's contract had automatically been renewed after the striker won the Ballon d'Or for his role in Madrid's La Liga-Champions League double last season. But various sources from within Madrid denied that suggestion to The Athletic.
With Real Madrid's regular exploits in the UEFA Champions League. We can expect Karim Benzema to break some more records before he calls it a day in football.