05 April 2023 , 21:23
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Karim Benzema bagged a hat-trick as Real Madrid thumped Barcelona 4-0 in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
The recent Ballon d'Or winner doubled his side's advantage against their bitter rivals in the second half after Vinicius Junior opened the scoring before the break. Benzema added his second from the penalty spot eight minutes later before completing his hat-trick with 10 minutes to go.
The 35-year-old has seemingly improved since turning 30 and is regarded as Real Madrid's most important player, with the France international striker netting 23 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions this campaign.
Last season, Benzema scored a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge to help Real Madrid beat Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League clash before they went on to eventually win the trophy.
The performance and the Champions League final victory helped Benzema win the Ballon d'Or, becoming the first player since Luka Modric to break the 10-year dominance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
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But Benzema's comments after his Chelsea hat-trick showed where he differs from his former teammate Ronaldo.
"I don't play football to be the best in the world, I play for nights like this," explained the veteran forward.
Karim Benzema netted a hat-trick against Barcelona (Europa Press via Getty Images)Ronaldo on the other hand, when asked by Piers Morgan what record he'd like to set before retirement in 2018, said: "The most golden balls [Ballon d'Or] in the history of football. I will love it and I think I deserve it... I know I'm one of the greatest ever in the history of football."
Real Madrid and Barcelona share one of the biggest rivalries in football and all eyes were on Ballon d'Or holder Benzema to be the difference this Wednesday.
Barcelona are flying high in La Liga and had home advantage, but Benzema showed once again why he's still playing football at the top level against Los Blancos with yet another career hat-trick.