Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema will be out to equal or break a Champions League goalscoring record when Los Blancos meet Manchester City in the second leg of their semi-final at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Benzema often played second fiddle as Ronaldo stole the headlight during their time in the Spanish capital together, but the Frenchman has staked his claim as one of the world's best centre-forwards this season.
The former Lyon man has spearheaded Real Madrid to the La Liga title with 26 goals in 30 domestic appearances, as well as striking a remarkable 14 times in 10 Champions League outings.
Benzema's European strikes include back-to-back hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, while he also headed home the goal against the Blues that clinched Real's semi-final spot.
The 34-year-old's side were up against it in the first leg of their semi-final with a rampant Man City side, but his brace and Vinicius Junior's effort saw Real cut the deficit to 4-3 in an Etihad Stadium classic.
Benzema firstly plucked a goal out of nowhere just after the half-hour mark before remaining unfazed to dink home a panenka penalty with 82 minutes gone following Aymeric Laporte's handball.
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Nine of Benzema's 14 strikes in this season's Champions League have come in the knockout rounds, and he has already set a new record for the most goals by a Frenchman in a single Champions League campaign.
Should Benzema find the back of the net once in Wednesday's second leg, he will equal Ronaldo's record of 10 goals in the knockout rounds of one Champions League season, and a brace would see him become the outright record holder.
Ronaldo achieved the double-figure feat for Real in the 2016-17 season under Zinedine Zidane, which included a brace in the final against Juventus after he had previously failed to score in four of his side's group games.
The Portuguese's record is not the only one on the line for Benzema, as only three players before him have ever scored in both legs of the quarter-finals and semi-finals in a single season.
Ex-Real Madrid man Fernando Morientes was the first to do so during Monaco's run to the 2003-04 final, netting four times in four knockout games versus Los Blancos and Chelsea.
Neymar also achieved the feat with 2014-15 champions Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, while Edin Dzeko's 2017-18 exploits with Roma saw him do so versus Barcelona and Liverpool.
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Furthermore, Benzema is also just two goals shy of the all-time Champions League goalscoring record of 16 for a single season - set by Ronaldo - while Robert Lewandowski was close behind with 15 in 2019-20.
In total, Benzema has struck 42 goals and provided 13 assists for the La Liga champions this season - his best return at the club yet, and he needs just three more goals to move into second place in the Los Blancos all-time scoring charts.
Benzema's staggering statistics in the 2021-22 season have moved him up to 321 goals in 601 appearances for Real in all tournaments, with Raul posting 323 in his 16 years at the club.
The 94-cap France international already has four Champions League winners' medals under his belt from his time at Real and won his fourth La Liga title after Carlo Ancelotti's side brushed aside Espanyol 4-1 at the weekend.
Benzema is not the only one seeking to make individual history, with Man City boss Pep Guardiola out to break two Champions League records in Wednesday's second leg.
Ben Knapton
