Of Karim Benzema and the archetypical French forward

At Madrid, with Ronaldo and Di Maria constantly cutting in and bringing Benzema into the scene, the young man was able to grow into a sufficiently accomplished striker, albeit one who is prone to go missing when the stakes are high.

Easily, it has been his pace on the counter attack – a feature of every Mourinho team to date – that has given him the nod over Gonzalo Higuain, who is undoubtedly a better finisher.

But Deschamps’ French side, although possessing a rampant Ribery out on the left flank, is not one that caters to the game of a sulky Benzema.

Happily for Deschamps, he does have a striker who is cut out for the role he expects from his number nine. Olivier Giroud, a revelation this season for an Arsenal side that is sitting pretty atop the Premier League standings at the time of writing, was in inspired form last night.

A delectable chip over the goalkeeper gave him his first on the night, and it was followed by a consummate striker’s goal – a first-time finish from an acute angle, and with his weaker foot, too. His link-up play with a much improved Samir Nasri, as well as a possessed Ribery, was excellent, and exactly what his manager would’ve wanted to see.

His ability to hold up the ball and bring others into play – traits that have received praise from all quarters in this, his second season at Arsenal, were on view all night long, until the time he was taken off for what would prove to be a strangely subdued Benzema.

How surprising then, that the headlines were more concerned with Benzema’s goal drought coming to an end, rather than the superlative show put on, even if it came against an inferior opposition. That has more to do with the expectations that have been placed on Benzema’s shoulders.

France’s current Number 10 has long been tipped to carry the torch that was in the very capable hands of an inspiring Zidane for so long. But to even compare the two would be an exercise in futility.

Funnily enough, in his early days at Lyon, their Algerian descent was touted as a marker for things to come from a young Benzema, as strange a connection as I have ever seen made.

Benzema has much more in common with, say, a young David Trezeguet – something the Juventus legend himself has noted in the past. Although compared even to Thierry Henry, by no less an authority than Pep Guardiola himself, Benzema is more Anelka than Henry, in terms of his profligacy in front of goal.

But all of these famous names, for all their success on the international stage at the turn of the millennium, were mere supporting actors in a cast that showcased defensive solidity, and creative genius, rather than the instinctive striker who is normally at the forefront of most World Cup winning teams.

And Karim Benzema, the prodigy who became a Galactico, one of superlative talent and unbridled potential, much like the glorious French forwards who came before him, is finding out that, for his country, his is but a place on the sidelines.