Benzema backs Mbappe to one day lift the Champions League

‘He’s young, he has enough time to do it’: Karim Benzema backs Kylian Mbappe to one day lift the Champions League after his hat-trick for Real Madrid dumped his France team-mate and PSG out at the last-16 stage

  • Karim Benzema has urged Kylian Mbappe not to dwell on PSG’s European exit
  • Real overturned a two-goal deficit to knock PSG out of the Champions League
  • It’s another disappointing European campaign for Mbappe and the French club
  • However, Benzema insists his French compatriot still has time on his side
  • Benzema scored a stunning 17-minute hat-trick to fire Real into the quarter-finals

Karim Benzema has urged Kylian Mbappe not to dwell on PSG’s painful exit from the Champions League before reassuring him that time is still on his side.

Mbappe experienced Champions League heartbreak once again with PSG on Wednesday when Real Madrid overturned a two-goal deficit to dump them out at the last-16 stage.

The blame could hardly be placed at Mbappe’s door, considering he scored both PSG’s goal across the two legs to put them in the comfortable position of advancing with just 45 minutes left in the tie.


Karim Benzema (left) has backed Kylian Mbappe (right) to win the Champions League one day

And while PSG’s failure to reach the quarter-finals will be a hard pill to swallow, Benzema has urged his compatriot not to let his head drop, insisting he will win the trophy one day. 

‘Kylian was disappointed after the game, it’s normal – he wanted to shine as always,’ Benzema told RMC Sport. ‘But he’s young, he has enough time to do it.’

Benzema stole the headlines from Mbappe on Wednesday by netting a superb hat-trick in the space of 17 minutes at the Bernabeu but the two could be soon combining for club and country come the summer. 

Mbappe – who was the subject of a £154million bid from Real last summer – has been heavily linked with joining the Spanish giants still on a free in the summer but has received a colossal two-year offer from PSG – worth an eye-watering £42million a year salary – to stay beyond the end of the season. 

Mbappe scored a last-minute winner in the first leg to give PSG the advantage

The 24-year-old then put PSG 2-0 up on aggregate before their almighty second-half collapse

Mbappe’s deal expires in the summer and is yet to make a decision on his future but PSG’s limp exit could be the catalyst to bringing the curtain down on his time at the Parc des Princes.

PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino was quizzed on Mbappe’s future but refused to be drawn in on any speculation surrounding the 24-year-old. 

‘It’s simply impossible to discuss about it now, it’s not the right moment. We’re really disappointed tonight,’ Pochettino said after the game.

While it was heartbreak and pain for Mbappe, Benzema was left to celebrate individual and team accolades on Wednesday.

It’s another disappointing European exit for Mbappe and the French club

His three goals saw him overtake Alfredo Di Stefano as the club’s third greatest goalscorer of all time but the French striker insists he wants to chase down the totals set by Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul ahead of him.

He said: ‘I’m proud to be third best goalscorer in Real Madrid history but I won’t stop, I want to score again and again.

‘Real Madrid are still alive and we’ll never give up. We’ve to say thanks to Real Madrid fans, they were special tonight’. 




Share this article


Source: Read Full Article