Transfer Talk and Criticism Surrounding Real Madrid's Karim Benzema Is Absurd

There's a curious paradox that surrounds Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and the criticism he faces. While there are other players in Europe who are as maligned as the Frenchman, few are judged as harshly for what they're not rather than for what they are. 

For his critics, Benzema is not a prolific striker, not a great shooter, not a fine technician, not a ruthless finisher, not a dependable performer, not the counterpart Cristiano Ronaldo deserves, not Radamel Falcao, not the owner of a stylish haircut and not worthy of the No. 9 shirt at Real Madrid. 

When losses occur at the Bernabeu, Benzema regularly cops the heat, just as he did during the 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid.

When that heat arrives, so too does the transfer speculation, with both The Mirror and Metro linking him with a future move away from the Spanish capital in recent days. 

Absurdly, such a process has almost become a routine surrounding the 26-year-old.  

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

Those jeers and whistles directed his way at the Bernabeu, the ones that are blatantly obvious to those watching from around the world, tend to gain traction from other sources. 

Just last week, Zinedane Zidane suggested the striker needs to score more when speaking to RMC Sport (via Goal.com), while Javier Hernandez—who didn't shy away from wanting to compete with Benzema when saying, per Marca, "No one will tell you that they train to be a sub"—scored twice in the 8-2 rout of Deportivo La Coruna after replacing the first-choice striker in the second half. 

As he watched the Mexican's late exploits from the sidelines, the "Benzema isn't this and Benzema isn't that" narrative sprung to life once more.

To highlight just how warped the wider perception of the Frenchman has become, one only had to view the praise for Hernandez and his brace—goals that were his team's seventh and eighth in the game's dying minutes—just days after Benzema was criticised for doing the same in the 5-1 win over Basel.

The point, it seems, continues to be missed. 

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

Benzema's critics are, of course, correct in one sense: He's not those things previously mentioned.

But he's not those things because that's not his role; not what his team needs.

"It isn't important to have a centre-forward who scores a lot of goals, but it is to have a player who can play [Gareth] Bale or Cristiano [Ronaldo] in," Carlo Ancelotti said during his team's pre-season campaign in the United States, when asked about his striking options. 

Indeed, Benzema's place in the Italian's side is predicated on his ability to play as the central fulcrum between Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. For the devastating wingers to flourish, it's Benzema's scoring chances that must be sacrificed.

In Ancelotti's system, it's the Frenchman who must play with his back to goal, must occupy the central defenders, must push up to offer a target for his midfield and must be the central figure in the interplay that results in scoring opportunities for others.

When Real pour forward, Benzema is the third—and often fourth—option as Los Blancos look to find the back of the net. 

And yet, it's his scoring record that always forms the basis of the criticism he receives.  

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To illustrate that point, there were 20 players in Europe's top five leagues last season who had more shots on goal than Benzema, per Squawka, despite the fact that he stood as the central figure in the most devastating attack on the continent. 

In 21st place on the list, Benzema sat behind Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi, Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez, Manolo Gabbiadini, Alessio Cerci, Luca Toni, Antonio Di Natale, Antonio Candreva, Robert Lewandowski, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Marco Reus, Diego Costa, Wilfried Bony, Rickie Lambert and Edin Dzeko. 

Bale, who attempted more shots per 90 minutes than Benzema, would also have been ahead of him if not for an injury-interrupted opening to the season. 

Of those 21 players (including Bale), only eight scored more often than Real Madrid's No. 9. And only seven recorded more assists. 

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But when you're Benzema, and when you wear that famous white shirt inside the Bernabeu, there's an expectation for more, regardless of how plausible or necessary that is. 

"I'm at a big club and a lot is expected of me," he said to AS last week (via Goal.com). "I'm a Real Madrid striker and that means I must score in every game. That's how it is."

When that doesn't happen, the inevitable occurs, namely the jeers, the whistles, the wide-sweeping criticism and the incessant transfer speculation. 

And as it does, what he's not will continue to take precedent over what he is.