Former Real Madrid forward chimes in on the Lewandowski-Benzema debate

The arrival of Robert Lewandowski at Barcelona has ignited a constant debate about who between him and Karim Benzema is the best striker in the world.

With the Frenchman being the outright favourite to win the Ballon d’Or after he spearheaded Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League triumph, the majority tends to side with him.

Former Los Blancos striker Carlos Alonso Santillana explained why he also reckons the 34-year-old is the best player in his position, claiming he is more complete than Barcelona’s Lewandowski.

“As a fan, it is a delight to see both of them on the field, although there is an important difference. I think Benzema is more complete, he plays in different areas of the field, supports his teammates, makes the team play better and makes many goals without Cristiano.

“Lewandowski is more of a boxer. A scorer who only has the goal in his mind and makes goals. Benzema does not need to score goals to play well, but Lewandowski is more a scorer,” he said, as quoted by MARCA.

With Benzema only sitting behind Ousmane Dembele as the player with the most assists in La Liga last term, the numbers justify the side of the fence Santillana has chosen to sit on.

However, it can also be suggested that Lewandowski has always been a more prolific goalscorer than the ex-Lyon marksman.

Despite Benzema enjoying his finest season at Real Madrid to date in 2021/22, the Polish skipper outscored him, scoring a staggering 50 goals in all competitions in comparison to the former’s tally of 44.

The Barcelona superstar has outscored the Real Madrid campaign this season as well, bagging 14 goals in 12 games across all competitions, whereas the latter has four strikes in nine matches.