10 best forwards of the decade

Modified Dec 27, 2019 15:42 GMT

5. Karim Benzema

Real Madrid CF v Borussia Dortmund - UEFA Champions League

Karim Benzema is one of the most underrated players in the world. The Frenchman is a complete team player and in the past, he used to drop deep and played the secondary striker role, allowing Ronaldo to thrive in the box for Real madrid.

Benzema even likes to play the role of a false nine helping the team in the build-up, linking up play with his teammates, as seen during the trio of Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema's peak.

Despite being one of the most unselfish strikers of the game, Benzema's numbers are magnificent. The Frenchman has scored 238 goals for Real Madrid since joining in 2009. He has helped the team win 2 La Liga titles, 2 Copa Del Rey titles, 4 UEFA Champions Leagues, 3 UEFA Super Cups and 4 FIFA Club World Cups.

Benzema is a striker who possesses good ball control, vision, heading ability and technical ability. He is a spectacular finisher and for his displays, he has been awarded the French Player of the Year award three times this decade.

Also Read: Real Madrid News: Benzema says he made Los Blancos' BBC work

About the author

Samyak is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who focuses on writing a variety of listicles. A post-graduate in Finance with over 6 years of total work experience, Samyak became interested in football after watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup and some high-octane El Clasico clashes. His favorite footballer is Cristiano Ronaldo for the forward's mentality, and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Pep Guardiola for the brand of football their teams showcase.

Samyak only follows top tier and verified fan club social media accounts for sourcing information for his articles. One of his core strengths is crafting crisp and concise articles to avoid any and all potential confusion for readers. These shrewd methods have helped him attain strong readership on his articles, one of them even being read half a million times!

Zinedine Zidane's Panenka penalty in the 2006 final is Samyak’s favorite World Cup moment owing to the Frenchman’s sheer nerves of steel showcased, and thinks Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are ready to usher in a new era post-Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. During his free time, Samyak follows Real Madrid, plays football and reads finance articles.

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Edited by Sai Teja