Real Madrid have been powered by the goals of Kylian Mbappe this season, and the French forward has been in excellent form during the calendar year. However compatriot Karim Benzema, the previous occupier of the number nine role, has cited one key criticism of Mbappe.
During an interview with Diario AS, Benzema spoke on a range of topics, including a potential return to Real Madrid, and what he feels Vinicius Junior needs to win the Ballon d’Or. The 37-year-old also explained that he continues to watch every game of his former side, and gave his view on the current team.
‘Real Madrid lack a leader’ – Karim Benzema
Benzema claimed that new manager Xabi Alonso was doing a good job, but did say that the generational shift at the Bernabeu had left him without a figurehead to get behind.
“True, it seemed like it would last forever. So many great players. Football is different now, it’s something else entirely. You can’t compare. The current Real Madrid might have more going for them, but they lack a true leader, although sometimes in today’s game, a leader isn’t necessary. They’re young, many of them play for their national teams and are the leaders there, they have Champions League experience… They need to find what a leader brings to the table.”
Image via Europa Press
‘Mbappe needs to step up in big games’
One of the players that was expected to step in and fill any void is Mbappe. The 26-year-old is now captain of the France side, and the definitive star at Real Madrid. Yet Benzema felt he could do more.
“He needs to focus more on these moments when Real Madrid needs him because he has everything needed to do it. There will be games where Mbappe won’t touch the ball. What we expect from Kylian is that when he gets the chance, he’ll put it away. That’s how Real Madrid is. Real Madrid needs him a lot, and there are games where he has to score, like against Atletico Madrid, Liverpool… These are teams that sit back, and he has to step up, work those situations.”
“I think Vinicius, Mbappe, Rodrygo, [Jude] Bellingham… they have to communicate. One is there to score goals, another to provide assists. We’re not going to tell Bellingham to score goals because that’s Mbappé’s job, nor tell him to be the number 10 because that’s Bellingham’s role. They have to communicate.”
Real Madrid’s leadership concerns?
This is a proclamation that has been made over recent months too. The current captain Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger and Thibaut Courtois represent the veteran group at the Bernabeu now. With the exception of Courtois, all three have missed significant time with injury of late though.