For former Germany international Steffan Effenberg, Karim Benzema’s departure from Real Madrid last summer was a good thing.
After fourteen years spent defending the colors of Real Madrid, Karim Benzema decided to pack his bags last summer. Against all expectations, the French striker joined Saudi Arabia, where he signed on free with the Al-Ittihad club until June 2026, with a golden contract at stake.
For its part, the White House has chosen not to go crazy to replace him. The Merengue thus bet on Joselu, who arrived from Espanyol Barcelona in the form of a loan. The 33-year-old Spanish striker very rarely starts, Carlo Ancelotti preferring Vinicius, Bellingham, Rodrygo or even Brahim Diaz.
“A good thing for Real Madrid”
Despite the fact that the “Nueve” has not really been replaced, Real Madrid continues to perform well. The residents of the Santiago Bernabéu are currently first in La Liga, five points ahead of their runner-up, and took an option for qualification for the quarter-finals of the Champions League after their 0-1 success in Leipzig on Tuesday evening.
The departure of Karim Benzema was even rather good news, according to Steffan Effenberg, who believes that it freed the other Madrid attackers, notably the Brazilian Vinicius. “Maybe it was even a good thing for Real Madrid that Karim Benzema said goodbye and Vinicius Junior and the others were free to play up front. Real still has this hunger. It’s simply Real Madrid, it’s a myth”thus estimated the former German international in the columns of Kicker.
