French striker Karim Benzema has signed a new one-year contract extension with Real Madrid. The new deal will keep the 33-year-old at the Bernabéu until June 2023.
The French international’s contract was due to expire next summer but he will now stay in the Spanish capital for a further year. It means he will be with the 13-time European champions until the age of 35 having joined the club in 2009 from French side Lyon.
Karim Benzema Signs New One Year Contact With Real Madrid
Official Announcement: Benzema#Benzema2023
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) August 20, 2021
Benzema: One of Real Madrid’s Greatest Ever Strikers
Karim Benzema hasn’t always won over the Real Madrid fans. However, his stats put him up there with their best-ever strikers.
He is the club’s fifth all-time top goalscorer and needs just another ten goals to surpass Santillana on 290 goals and 28 to overtake the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano who is on 308 goals. With another two years at the club, Benzema can be expected to surpass both of them.
The new contract is more than deserved, as Benzema has stepped up to become the main man at Real Madrid following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure in 2018. He has finished as the club’s top goalscorer in each of the last three seasons. Last season, he scored 23 goals and had nine assists in 34 La Liga appearances. In Real’s season opener against Alaves, he scored twice further underlying his importance to Los Blancos.
Another Contract Renewal Secured by Real Madrid
Due to Real Madrid’s current financial situation, it has been a very quiet transfer window by their standards. So far, the only significant arrival has been David Alaba from Bayern Munich. Even that was only on a free transfer.
The focus this summer has been tying key members of their squad to new deals. Benzema’s contract renewal follows in the footsteps of Luka Modric, Lucas Vazquez, Nacho Fernandez, Dani Carvajal, and Thibaut Courtois, who have all signed new contracts this summer.
However, the likes of Marcelo, Isco, and Gareth Bale haven’t yet had their contracts renewed. All three could depart Real for free when their contracts expire next summer. That is something that Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez will be looking to avoid given their financial plight.
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