Zinedine Zidane Reacts to Ridiculous Karim Benzema Backheel Assist
By Tom Gott
Who'd have thought that being out of Cristiano Ronaldo's shadow would be so fun?
Real Madrid hitman Karim Benzema is loving every second of being his side's talisman, after taking some time to grow into it last season. He has already bagged 22 goals in all competitions and added his tenth assist of the season with a sumptuous backheel pass for Casemiro against Espanyol.
Just a casual backheel assist from Benzema, no big deal! ?
— Premier Sports ? (@PremierSportsTV) June 28, 2020
Casemiro finishes and Madrid lead just before half time ⚪ pic.twitter.com/Vjhtl8ETbe
Seriously, just look at that.
Channelling his inner Guti, Benzema barely even had the ball under control but still managed to flick the ball backwards, through the legs of a defender and perfectly into the path of the onrushing Casemiro to give the Brazilian a tap-in.
After his ludicrous volley against Valencia, the spectacular is becoming somewhat normal for Benzema, and manager Zinedine Zidane confessed (via the club's official website) that he isn't even surprised by the Frenchman's heroics these days.
Football is my life and my love but my family gives me everything ❤️ #HalaMadrid #Nueve ??? pic.twitter.com/Av4fAPMMVf
— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) June 18, 2020
"Benzema is an impressive player and he proves it in every game," the boss said. "He's been here for 11 years and we all enjoy his quality.
"A player always improves and every year players get better and that's exactly what's happening to him. He's at a very good age, up to 32-33 years old, if you look after yourself like he does, these are the best years for a footballer. He can still play a lot because he takes care of himself.
"I'm not surprised by what Karim does. He's a quality player, he's doing well and we're enjoying his football. How long can he go on? I don't know, he'll decide that."
Karim @Benzema is the measuring stick to judge football knowledge. If you think he’s useless or overrated, you don’t know the game. He’s quite simply a magician, who has been pivotal in several systems, by several coaches, including Mourinho, Ancelotti and Zidane. So unique.
— Muddassir Hussain (@muddassirjourno) June 28, 2020
The assist fired Real to a 1-0 win which gave Los Blancos a two-point lead at the top of the La Liga table. Some poor recent form has seen Barcelona drop behind, and their recent 2-2 draw with struggling Celta Vigo has given Real a major advantage in the title race.
Next up for Real is the visit of Getafe, in what has the potential to be a tricky affair. Six games stand between Zidane and yet another league title, and with Benzema defying all known logic to win games, Real will be confident of getting over the finish line first.