Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema has praised his former Real Madrid teammate Vinícius Júnior for his outstanding performance in the 4-0 La Liga home victory over Girona on Saturday (February 10).
In a match that heavily favored Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabéu, the team took an early lead within six minutes through a goal by Vinicius. Jude Bellingham’s goals on either side of halftime further solidified Real Madrid’s dominance, before Rodrygo Goes sealed the deal with a fourth goal midway through the second half.
This triumph propelled Carlo Ancelotti’s squad five points clear at the top of the table after 24 games, with Vinicius playing a pivotal role in the victory with a goal and two assists.
Recognizing the brilliance of his former teammate, Los Blancos legend Benzema shared Vinicius’s picture on Instagram stories with the caption ‘number one’.
Despite enduring several injuries, which caused him to miss 11 games across competitions, the Brazilian has managed to score three goals and provide three assists in his last five La Liga matches, all of which resulted in victories for Madrid.
Meanwhile, Benzema enjoyed a highly successful 14-year tenure at the Bernabeu from 2009 to 2023, accumulating an impressive record of 354 goals and 165 assists in 648 games across various competitions.