Karim Benzema: Real's most important player?

This week he was declared to be the greatest French striker of all time; quite a contrast to when Karim Benzema arrived at Real Madrid and was labelled as the new Nicolas Anelka.

The Anelka comparison wasn't a good thing... it was a reference to a natural talent that may not be fully realised because of a tendency to be a little flaky. The early years in Spain for Benzema were a perpetual struggle but now he's Real Madrid's rock.

When Zinedine Zidane makes a statement, it's like a royal decree. Without his fellow Frenchman, the club wouldn't be joint top of La Liga and making plans to win the Champions League in 2021.

Benzema celebrated the week of his 33rd birthday with a brace of goals against Athletic Bilbao that took his club to joint top spot in the league table and his total to ten goals in sixteen matches. He is by far the most significant player at the Bernabéu - hence his manager's rich tribute.

However, it hasn't always been this joyful and the praise hasn't always flowed.

The comparison to Anelka came when he was struggling to establish himself and get to grips with the demands of a global footballing institution. A decade ago, club manager José Mourinho described him as listless and his national coach Laurent Blanc questioned his physique. He competed with Gonzalo Higuaín to become the chosen partner for Cristiano Ronaldo. He even fell behind Emmanuel Adebayor in the pecking order.

In the summer of 2011, he booked himself into a fitness farm, lost a stone and a half and relaunched a career that has reaped many major rewards.

Now, it could be argued that he is the best centre-forward in the world. For years he was the legs man for Ronaldo, the lesser recognised of the BBC (Bale, Benzema and Cristiano) trio. The other two superstars have moved on, yet he is a constant in the Real Madrid team. Without him they would be mediocre and looking for a new manager.

I had to double check his age when researching the facts. Yes, he is just about to turn thirty-three. He came through the France youth team with Hatem Ben Arfa and Samir Nasri, two talents who lost their sparkle many years ago.

He's no saint. Misdemeanours cost him a chance of writing himself in France national team history and he's missed out on playing for his country for the past five years.

France's loss is Real Madrid's gain. When others head away for international duty, he's resting for the next flurry of important club games. It should be noted that his two goals against Athletic were scored in the 74th and 92nd minutes, proving his freakish fitness.

He's now just seven goals off the legendary Alfredo Di Stéfano as the club's third all-time scorer, yet he's rarely spoken about as one of the greats.

Replacing Ronaldo was always a hot topic; replacing Benzema may be an even tougher task. When the finest French footballer places you above Thierry Henry and Jean-Pierre Papin as his favourite forward, you know you finally have full recognition.