Higuaín, Morata, Mariano, Chicharito... Benzema rejects
Benzema's poor form continues and the stats from the players who he has left in his wake do not make for good reading for Real Madrid.Champions League Final: Real Madrid - Liverpool
Karim Benzema's drought in front of goals continues. He missed a number of excellent chances against Las Palmas on Sunday night and while the result was never really in doubt, these missed chances could come back to hurt Real Madrid. The French striker has seen off competition from a number of world class striking talent during his time at Real Madrid. Los Blancos remains loyal to the 29-year-old the players the club have sold are currently flourishing elsewhere.
Higuaín (Juventus, 9 goals)
Since leaving for Italy, Higuaín has crushed Benzema in the goals column. The Argentina has scored 38 more than his peer in five season and the only year Benzema could keep up with the high-scoring Napoli striker was in his first year away from the Bernabéu - they both scored 24 that year. Pipita did manage to win the goals to minutes ratio, however, with a goal every 146 minutes compared to Benzema's striker ever 169.
Mariano (Lyon, 9 goals)
The Ligue 1 sensation had exploded into life with regular playing time at Lyon. He has two more than Neymar and is keeping pace with Cavani and Falcao on 13 and Fekir, his teammate, who has scored 11. Mariano has the full confidence of coach Bruno Genesio, the Dominican Republic/Spanish striker is scoring a goal every 111 minutes and is yet to feature in the Europa League.
Goals by season for the six strikers
| 11-12 | 12-13 | 13-14 | 14-15 | 15-16 | 16-17 | 17-18 | |
| Benzema | 32 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 28 | 19 | 2 |
| Higuaín | 26 | 18 | 24 | 30 | 38 | 32 | 9 |
| Adebayor | 18 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
| Chicharito | 9 | 26 | 13 | 4 | |||
| Morata | 2* | 9 | 15 | 12 | 20 | 8 | |
| Mariano | 5 | 9 | |||||
Source: Transfermarkt and Ligue 1.
In black, the season that coincided with Benzema at Real Madrid.
*Morata was a Castilla player in 2012-13 and played 15 times with the first team.
Morata (Chelsea, 8 goals)
Morata's second exit from Real Madrid is proving as successful as his first. He has scored eight goals with Chelsea this season and is becoming a hit with the fans with his lovely, leaping header against Manchester United on Sunday solidifying his status as hero at Stamford Bridge. Morata was scoring at a better rate than Benzema at Real Madrid despite being the Frenchman's understudy.
Minutes per goal ratio
| 11-12 | 12-13 | 13-14 | 14-15 | 15-16 | 16-17 | 17-18 | |
| Benzema | 108 | 137 | 169 | 167 | 93 | 170 | 431 |
| Higuaín | 102 | 139 | 146 | 143 | 87 | 140 | 151 |
| Adebayor | 175 | 305 | 154 | 493 | 616 | 171 | 271 |
| Chicharito | 150 | 123 | 204 | 238 | |||
| Morata | 290 | 108 | 153 | 198 | 94 | 124 | |
| Mariano | 60 | 111 | |||||
Fuente: Transfermarkt and Ligue 1.
In black, the season that coincided with Benzema at Real Madrid.
*Morata was a Castilla player in 2012-13 and played 15 times with the first team.
Chicharito (West Ham, 4 goals)
The Mexican is not posting spectacular numbers, and has just seen his manager Slaven Bilic sacked, but he is scoring at a greater clip than Benzema. When the pair were at Real Madrid together, Chicharito played second fiddle but scored every 150 minutes with Benzema hitting the back of the onion bag every 167 minutes. During his time in Germany, Chicharito did post worst numbers but since moving to West Ham, his goal tally is better.
Adebayor (Basaksehir, 4 goles)
The former Real Madrid striker is rejuvenated at Basaksehir in Turkey. Adebayor arrived at Real Madrid in 2011 at a time when Jose Mourinho was suffering from doubts over Benzema. Higuaín was out and Mourinho needed more convincing options up front. The African has had a spotty career but outdid Benzema in 2013-14 and is equal in goals during his second coming in Turkey.
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