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Transfers - Your view: Benzema worth the fuss?

Eurosport - Thu, 02 Jul 09:39:00 2009

Real Madrid have won the battle with Manchester United to sign Karim Benzema from Lyon, but is he worth the fuss and £30 million plus?

FOOTBALL 2008-2009 Lyon - Benzema - 0

Certainly the statistics suggest he is. Seventeen goals in 36 Ligue 1 games last season, off the back of 20 in the same number of outings the previous campaign.

Cynics may point out that Ligue 1 is a far cry from La Liga, but he has succeeded at the highest level too - nine goals in 15 Champions League games during the same two-year period proves that.

That kind of scoring record indicates the boy is a bit special in front of goal and, considering he is just 21, he still has his best years ahead of him - quite a scary thought.

Add power and pace to his scoring prowess and he appears to have all the attributes to succeed in Spain.

But questions remain over his temperament with whispers in France suggesting he can be a disruptive influence in the dressing room.

His fractious relationship with former team-mate Hatem Ben Arfa was widely recognised and Thierry Henry is rumoured to have clashed with him over a seat on the France team bus.

Have United missed out on a potentially world-class talent or have they done the right thing in leaving it to Madrid?

Will he be yet another unmanageable ego in the Bernabeu dressing room or could he be Madrid's star striker for years to come?

And who should United go for now?

What do you think?

Have your say below or on the message threads via the link underneath the photo.

Eurosport

Comment 100 - 119 of 119

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  1. Maybe Real is spending big this summer, but i bet they­ will not win everything especially Champion League­ Cup..

    From qimee_89, on Mon 6 Jul 9:25PM

  2. Hahaha, Liverpool havent won the premier league,­ liverpool havent won anything the last 3 years, why do­ you say you are the best?? when there is nothing you­ can show ? maybe if you switch to championship , then­ you will win a trophy for the first time. loosers.

    From chechenr, on Sat 4 Jul 12:37PM

  3. luke.elliff, well, SAF bad-mouthed Real Madrid pretty­ bad last year during the Ronaldo saga. Well, Real­ Madrid provoked it. But still, Real Madrid is probably­ holding a grudge.

    From elson l, on Fri 3 Jul 9:35AM

  4. berbatov the useless tart, and that blue scouser shrek,­ HaHaHa
    that must really stick in the throats of man­ ure fans........

    From Bike 69, mabaho ka !, on Fri 3 Jul 12:51AM

  5. rc_NOCOCK..........REALLY HAS NO @#$%...sad little­ (RED) scouse BUMMER!!

    From , on Thu 2 Jul 9:28PM

  6. Has anyone else noticed Real Madrid are going for­ players Man Utd want. The president of Real Madrid­ claimed to want a friendly relationship between the­ clubs, but I fail to see how he's doing this when­ he tries to buy every player Utd want.

    From luke.elliff, on Thu 2 Jul 7:58PM

  7. benzema would have been great aT UTD, THERE IS NO EGO­ SAF CANT HANDLE. united now need to get douglas costa,­ the hottest young talent on the planet and kun aguero,­ another massive star of the future and a playmaker is­ needed in midfield like iniesta but with more strength­ coz of hargreaves constant injury

    From COLIN A, on Thu 2 Jul 7:09PM

  8. McPluker, you and your like have been saying the same­ thing for 20 years. You were wrong 20 times. Don't­ you effing Liverpudlian idiots ever learn? No,­ that's why your whole city is always at the bottom­ of the economic league, it's full of idiots who­ never learn

    From trouble, on Thu 2 Jul 6:19PM

  9. Hammed what a stupid comment. Did you not see how Real­ Madrid played with the last so called Galacticos team.­ 5 strikers, 3 midfield, 2 defenders and 1 goal keeper.­ They would have preferred 6 strikers and 0 goal keepers­ but their 10 managers in 5 years said no, so they kept­ getting fired. So what's your problem with them­ buying all these strikers?

    From trouble, on Thu 2 Jul 6:17PM

  10. Luis Fabiano and Aguero should be the next transfer­ targets and united should act fast cos fergie is so­ slow at signing someone look at madrid they want­ someone then they put in a bid unlinke united

    From michaeltalwar, on Thu 2 Jul 5:41PM

  11. With the exorbitant prices that Madrid is paying for­ all this players...... I wonder how their local players­ would feel...........Oh well, time will tell!

    From marilacson, on Thu 2 Jul 5:16PM

  12. NOW THAT BENZENA HAS OVERLOOKED MAN.U. I SUPPOSE THE­ M.U FANS WILL SAY "OH HE WAS,NT THE STRIKER WE­ WERE AFTER ANYWAY" THEN RIBERY WILL REFUSE A MOVE­ TO M.U. THEY ALL THE @#$% WILL COME OFF THE M.U , SITE­ . IT,S JUST A LOAD OF @#$%.

    From TEVEZ, on Thu 2 Jul 4:58PM

  13. NOW THAT BENZENA HAS OVERLOOKED MAN.U. I SUPPOSE THE­ M.U FANS WILL SAY "OH HE WAS,NT THE STRIKER WE­ WERE AFTER ANYWAY" THEN RIBERY WILL REFUSE A MOVE­ TO M.U. THEY ALL THE @#$% WILL COME OFF THE M.U , SITE­ . IT,S JUST A LOAD OF @#$%.

    From TEVEZ, on Thu 2 Jul 4:57PM

  14. NOW THAT BENZENA HAS OVERLOOKED MAN.U. I SUPPOSE THE­ M.U FANS WILL SAY "OH HE WAS,NT THE STRIKER WE­ WERE AFTER ANYWAY" THEN RIBERY WILL REFUSE A MOVE­ TO M.U. THEY ALL THE @#$% WILL COME OFF THE M.U , SITE­ . IT,S JUST A LOAD OF @#$%.

    From TEVEZ, on Thu 2 Jul 4:57PM

  15. Maybe Gerrard Houlier tipped the lad off last­ year!Sunny Mdrid here he comes,can hold Ronaldos purse­ for him when he takes all the free kicks!!!!

    From delete, on Thu 2 Jul 3:48PM

  16. THE OLD DRUNK WHISKY GUZZELIN OUTA BROWN PAPER BAG ­ JOCK FERG WILL BE GONE IN 12 MONTHS ,,, N BAWWED BOB­ WILL BE CRYIN 4 HIS JOB­ HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA,,,,,,,,,,,,C.T.I.D.

    From mcpluker, on Thu 2 Jul 1:59PM
  17. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    NO PLAYER WORTH HIS CALIBRE WILL GO TO THE THEARTRE OF­ DOOM AND WORK UNDER THE REGIEME OF HATE AND­ EMBITTERNESS MAN UNITED`S (S C U M F.C) DONT KNOW IT­ BUT THERE FOUNDATIONS ARE STARTING TO SHAKE ­ HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,,,,,,,,,,C.T.I.D.

    From mcpluker, on Thu 2 Jul 1:56PM

  18. rip jackson you know nothing you stupid p.r.i.c.k. i­ suspect you are a scummy pool supporter the top fouR in­ england hardly ever attract players from abroad it is­ because theY do not like the english culture anD the­ tax rates at the end of the day liverfools are the­ embarresement of the football league getting the rest­ of england band for europe being the most self deluded­ fans the FACTS ARE Oyou HAVE WON NOTHING FOR THREE­ YEARS AND MAN UNITED ARE PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS FOR­ THREE YEARS RUNNING WE ARE BETTER THEN YOU YOU ARE DIRT­ AND EUROPE FROWNS ON YOUR DISGUSTING BEHAVIUOR

    From reddevils_4life99, on Thu 2 Jul 1:52PM

  19. i dont no why player dont wanna sign for us,anyway i­ dont care what people say,i promise u benzema is not­ gonna get a role in madrid coz they cannot bench­ nistelrooy for him nida would the bench kaka for him he­ would end up begin for a club.let go for aguero before­ any other person does ribery said real or nobody let­ get our mind of him i think real are very greedy for­ takin our man after taking ronaldo i promise u they­ would take aguero if we dont act fast.

    From Hammed A, on Thu 2 Jul 1:52PM

  20. rip jackson you know nothing you stupid p.r.i.c.k. i­ suspect you are a scummy pool supporter the top fouR in­ england hardly ever attract players from abroad it is­ because theY do not like the english culture anD the­ tax rates at the end of the day liverfools are the­ embarresement of the football league getting the rest­ of england band for europe being the most self deluded­ fans the FACTS ARE Oyou HAVE WON NOTHING FOR THREE­ YEARS AND MAN UNITED ARE PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS FOR­ THREE YEARS RUNNING WE ARE BETTER THEN YOU YOU ARE DIRT­ AND EUROPE FROWNS ON YOUR DISGUSTING BEHAVIUOR

    From reddevils_4life99, on Thu 2 Jul 1:49PM
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