Cristiano Ronaldo is in serious danger of losing one of his incredible UEFA Champions League records to Karim Benzema ahead of Real Madrid's second-leg semi-final clash against Manchester City on Wednesday night.
In the 2016/17 UCL campaign, after failing to score in four of Los Blancos' group games, Ronaldo struck a remarkable 10 times in the knockout rounds of the tournament to become the only player in history to reach the double-figure mark in a single season.
Benzema, however, threatens to match or even better his ex-teammate's achievement when the 13-time European champions host Pep Guardiola's City at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night.
The Frenchman has scored nine goals since the beginning of the knockout stage of the latest tournament – three against Paris Saint-Germain, four against Chelsea and twice against City – and will be eager to add to his tally to give Real a chance of booking a place in the final against Liverpool later this month.
Overall, the 34-year-old has scored an impressive 14 goals in this season's competition.
It has been a staggering 2021/22 campaign for the ex-Olympique Lyon striker, who is enjoying his career-best goal return of 42 goals in as many matches. Furthermore, Benzema has assisted 13 strikes across platforms too.
As a result of his form, the France international appears to be the current favourite for the 2022 Ballon d'Or prize, although he is likely to face stiff competition from the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Heading into Wednesday night's clash in Spain, City boast a 4-3 aggregate lead.
