Karim Benzema has scored back-to-back hat-tricks for Real Madrid, and Carlo Ancelotti thinks that he can win another Ballon d’Or.
After scoring three goals in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal against Barcelona last Wednesday, Benzema added three more goals in this week’s 6-0 LaLiga victory over Real Valladolid.
In a Madrid career spanning 14 trophy-laden seasons, it is the first time the former France international has scored consecutive hat-tricks.
Having won the Ballon d’Or for the first time in 2022 on the back of a superb year for Los Blancos, Ancelotti has backed Benzema to challenge for the individual accolade again.
“Why not?” Ancelotti said following his side’s 4-1 aggregate victory against Barcelona. “He remains one of the best players in the world – and not just attacking players.”
Benzema now has 25 goals in 31 appearances this season – a tally bettered by Robert Lewandowski (27), Marcus Rashford (28), Kylian Mbappe (31) and Erling Haaland (42).
That includes 19 goals in 19 games since the World Cup, while the 35-year-old’s back-to-back hat-tricks have come straight on the back of the international break.
“The work he did during the international break helped him a lot,” Ancelotti said of Benzema, who announced his latest retirement from France duty in December.
“He is in prime physical condition. With the qualities he has, he inevitably makes a difference for us.”
Real Madrid will face Osasuna, who beat Athletic Bilbao, in the Copa del Rey final on May 6.