Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema astonishingly predicted his stellar display against PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Frenchman netted a second-half hat-trick in the space of 17 minutes to help Real Madrid secure their berth in the quarter-finals with a 3-2 win on aggregate.
Surprisingly, Benzema predicted himself to light up the round of 16 second leg tie against PSG during a private conversation with French rapper Niska. The WhatsApp chat was shared via Snapchat by the rapper with the caption:
"He did warn me"
Understandably, the conversation between them was in French. However, it can be translated as follows:
Benzema: "Sh*t will hit the fan"
Niska: "They (PSG) are on you. They want to do you. But you and Vini (Vinicius JR), you've been on fire recently."
Benzema: "They (PSG) won't do anything. This is my story."
With his incredible hat-trick, Benzema is now the third-highest goalscorer in the history of Real Madrid. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (450) and Raul (324) have found the back of the net more times than Benzema (309) for Los Blancos.
The 34-year-old has netted 30 goals and registered 12 assists across all competitions this term. At this rate, Benzema could be a strong contender for the 2022 Ballon d'Or. Last year, he finished just outside the podium in fourth-place in the race for the accolade.
Kylian Mbappe endures bittersweet outing as PSG succumb to Real Madrid
Ever since the draw for the Champions League round of 16 was revealed, everyone has been keen to find out how Kylian Mbappe will perform against Real Madrid.
The forward's desire to join the Spanish giants has been well-documented and he is expected to make the move this summer. Mbappe produced an outstanding display in the first leg that ended 1-0 in favor of PSG, thanks to his late winner at the Parc des Princes.
Even at the Santiago Bernabeu, the spotlight was firmly on Mbappe and he delivered. Prior to kick-off, the home crowd had given him a standing ovation and the forward did live up to it by finding the back of the net.
Despite his best efforts, however, the hosts clawed their way back into the game through Benzema and ultimately put the Ligue 1 giants to the sword. There is no denying the fact that Mbappe has impressed everyone at Real Madrid, but personally he would have wanted to go further in the competition as well.