Real Madrid's Karim Benzema Conquers All 30 La Liga Opposition Teams
Karim Benzema scored what he hoped would be another winning goal on Saturday but was eventually frustrated as his Real Madrid team drew 2-2 at Las Palmas.
The Frenchman has well over 150 goals for his club, with 113 of them now coming in La Liga—including one against every single one of the 30 opponents he has faced during his time in Spain's capital, now into his eighth season.
"30 - Karim Benzema has scored against every team he has faced in La Liga (113 goals against 30 teams). Inmaculate. pic.twitter.com/FEbVNWWBNJ
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 24, 2016"
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The No. 9 was absent through injury on both occasions when Real played Las Palmas last season, in October and March, but he needed just a few minutes on the pitch as a sub this time around to find the back of the net.
There are few players who have such an unerring instinct for scoring that they manage to net against every club they face in the league—though Cristiano Ronaldo has managed it for Real Madrid. Both players will need to score against Leganes and Deportivo Alaves this season, should they face those sides, to keep their record going.
Benzema's proud tally began in September 2009 against Xerez, and he hasn't stopped scoring since that left-footed finish, lashed high into the top corner.
Naturally, in his first campaign at Real Madrid, all of his goals were against new clubs, though he wasn't always a regular starter. Tenerife saw him score his first league brace in Spain and meaning each of his first three goals were different: left foot, header, right foot, giving fans early indications of his ability as a complete forward.
The Santiago Bernabeu continued to be most profitable for Benzema in his first season, and Almeria were the third opponents to feel his predatory instincts.
One of Benzema's strengths over the years has been to score goals when it matters most—but he's always been capable of getting in on the act in high-scoring games, too. One in a 6-0 drubbing of Real Zaragoza meant little in the context of the match but was another team crossed off the list.
2010 started with Benzema scoring his first La Liga goals away from home, with Deportivo La Coruna the opposition as he netted twice in a 3-1 win.
Sixth on the list were Athletic Club de Bilbao, and Benzema has gone on to score six times against the Basque outfit in La Liga so far.
The 2010/11 season saw Espanyol first on Benzema's hitlist of new clubs and his seventh overall.
It took until January for the next new side to be added, with Mallorca defeated thanks to the only goal of the game being scored by the Frenchman.
Levante were next in line...
...and Malaga made it 10, with Benzema hitting two in a 7-0 crushing in March 2011.
Racing Santander became only the second team against which Benzema scored away from home in La Liga, but his impact was growing—two goals in a 3-1 win, followed up with another against Hercules. Six league goals in the space of nine days highlighted his increasing consistency and stature within the team.
It took some time for Benzema to make his mark against one of the big hitters in La Liga, but a derby goal against Atletico Madrid is a good way to get the fans onside. He managed it in a 2-1 win, scoring the first by racing clear to clip in a neat finish.
The goals kept coming in 2010/11 and Valencia were next on the list. One of the BBC attack's most telling moments came against the same opposition some years five later, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale combining to free Benzema to score.
Getafe was the 15th club Benzema scored against in La Liga, halfway to his current total, and they have been one of his most profitable opponents since. Seven goals in total is the former Lyon man's haul against that club—and he'll have been disappointed to see them relegated last season as a result.
Rayo Vallecano share the same fate as Getafe: 16th instead of 15th, but Benzema has scored seven times against them also and they, too, went down last term.
Villarreal and Osasuna, 17th and 18th, were next in line and meant that the first four opponents Benzema scored past in '11/12 season were all new.
"Continuamos !!! Somos el @realmadrid !!! #HalaMadridYNadaMas pic.twitter.com/FIGekwg32W
— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) April 20, 2016"
It took until December 2011 for Benzema to make his mark in the game that counts for most: Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu, where he scored in front of his adoring fans inside the first minute to give hope, belief and euphoria—but it was all fleeting, as Real ended up on the wrong side of a 3-1 scoreline on that occasion.
The 20th side Benzema scored against was a notable one: Granada the unlucky opponents this time, and so they have been since. Real's No. 9 has netted a total of nine times against the Andalucian side, more than against any other club in La Liga, and got the tally started with a brace in January 2012.
"Karim Benzema: Has now scored 8 goals against Barcelona, he has only scored more vs Granada (9) #ElClasico
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) April 2, 2016"
There was time for three more new faces to be ticked off in the remainder of the season: Real Sociedad in March, and Sporting Gijon and Sevilla in April made it a total of 23.
""A photo posted by Karim Benzema (@karimbenzema) on Jan 17, 2016 at 10:20am PST
Naturally, for such a regular goalscorer as Benzema, the opportunities to strike against new opposition dwindled rapidly after that point, dependent on which teams were promoted each year. Real Valladolid and Real Betis were the only new teams to tick off in '12/13 as a result.
Celta Vigo finally fell to Benzema in January 2014—it remains his only goal against them in six appearances, a strangely frustrating opponent for the striker.
Cordoba held no such fears; they became the 27th club to see Benzema celebrate against them in league play when he scored just 30 minutes into the new season at the beginning of '14/15.
It left Eibar and Elche to score against that season as new clubs, and he duly did so. Despite no new clubs being scored past last season, it was still an impressive campaign for goalscoring when he was available—scoring once every 83 minutes on average.
"Karim Benzema: Has scored 23 goals in 24 La Liga matches this season, more than he’s netted in any previous La Liga campaign
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) April 20, 2016"
And so to club 30, Las Palmas, who were beaten on Saturday by Benzema's follow-up strike—but not beaten in the eventual result. They're already ticked off the striker's list, but there are no fewer than 25 opponents who can attest to Benzema not being satisfied with just the one goal against them.
Benzema has two more chances to add to the list of 30 as the season goes on, against promoted sides, and he'll be critical to Real Madrid's plans of staying right where they are come May—top of the table in La Liga and lifting a long-awaited league title.
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