Karim Benzema believes he was the player to make everything work in Real Madrid’s fabled ‘BBC’ front line.
‘BBC’ was the name given to the attacking trio of Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo which helped dominate Europe between 2013 and 2018.
Real Madrid’s BBC: Five things to know…
- Real Madrid’s front line between 2013 and 2018 were known as ‘BBC’.
- Benzema, Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo combined to score 442 goals in five seasons.
- Ronaldo was the main goalscorer, grabbing 249 in five seasons.
- Bale added pace on the flanks, hurting opposition defenders.
- But Benzema believes he was the glue holding the trio together.
Across five seasons between Bale signing for Madrid and Ronaldo leaving, the trio scored 442 goals in all competitions, with the latter contributing to 249 of those. And Benzema has now revealed each player’s role in the attacking trio.
“You had a rocket (Bale) and a goalscorer (Ronaldo), and then there was me, the piece that made it all work,” he told RMC Sport.
Benzema was once the goalscorer for Lyon before moving to Real Madrid in 2009, but the Frenchman had to change the way he played upon arriving in Spain.
“Here, the finisher was Cristiano,” he added.
“I played a different role. I was involved more in the construction of moves and trying to open up spaces.
“For me, he was the best goalscorer even if he played on the left. I moved away to open up space and let him score.”
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Gignac: Benzema the best “real” No.9
After Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus in the summer of 2018, Benzema has had to take on the goalscoring responsibilities for Real Madrid. Last season, the Frenchman scored 30 goals and he has already added two in three La Liga games so far in the new campaign.
And according to Benzema’s compatriot, Andre-Pierre Gignac, the Real Madrid man is the best “real” No.9 in the world.
“In Toulouse, I was 23 years old and a rival [to the league’s best strikers],” Gignac said in April.
“I finished seven goals ahead of Karim Benzema, who was going to sign for Real Madrid at the time. It’s good for me because Karim remains the best ‘real’ number 9 in the world.”