Karim Benzema becomes Real Madrid's second-highest goalscorer in La Liga history behind Cristiano Ronaldo after brace against Elche

Karim Benzema scored a brace from the penalty spot to become Real Madrid's all-time second-highest goalscorer in La Liga, just behind Cristiano Ronaldo. The Frenchman has now scored 229 La Liga goals, one more than club legend Raul. Ronaldo, meanwhile, is light years ahead with his tally being 311.

Marco Asensio opened the scoring against Elche with a delightful goal. He drifted past the opposition's defense before finding the bottom corner with a calmly taken left-footed finish.

Benzema scored his first in the 31st minute before adding another in injury time in the first half. Luka Modric added another in the 80th minute. The score is currently 4-0 and if that stays so, Los Blancos will be within eight points of league leaders Barcelona.

🌟 Karim Benzema is now the second top scorer for Real Madrid in La Liga:

🇵🇹 311 Cristiano Ronaldo
🇫🇷 230 Karim Benzema*
🇪🇸 228 Raúl González twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/JvbfwiOGgt

Karim Benzema has now scored 339 goals in his Real Madrid career. However, he is still miles behind Cristiano Ronaldo's tally of 450. The Portuguese did it in an astonishing 438 games.

Karim Benzema's trainer made a stunning claim involving Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo

Athletic Club v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema are two of the best players in Real Madrid's history. Along with Gareth Bale, they formed a fearsome attacking trio called 'BBC'.

Individually, Ronaldo 16/17 or Benzema 21/22? https://t.co/z80XmcgBzI

Benzema's trainer, however, recently claimed that even Ronaldo, who is known for his abilities in the gym, couldn't handle the Frenchman's rigorous training. He said (via GOAL):

“Karim is getting better every day. He is at home, without having anything to do, and he goes down to the gym to train. The Frenchman's mentality involves improving every day. Even Cristiano could not stand the training that Benzema does.”

Benzema and Ronaldo achieved massive success together in the Spanish capital. They still share a good relationship. Since the no. 7's departure, Benzema has transformed into the team's attacking leader.

However, the no. 9, who won the Baloon d'Or in 2022, still has a long way to go to surpass his former teammate as the club's all-time record scorer. Given Benzema is already 35, he is perhaps running a race against time.