In a focus battle in the 34th round of La Liga that ended in the early morning of May 1, Beijing time, Real Madrid defeated Espanyol 4-0 and won the La Liga title four rounds earlier. Benzema, who came off the bench, also scored a goal.
With a life-and-death tie against City in the crucial Second Leg of the Champions League semi-final next week, Carlo Ancelotti chose to have Benzema on the bench to build up energy. In the 60th minute of the match, Benzema came on in place of Mariano. In the 81st minute, Benzema received a cross from his teammate in the penalty area and snatched it into the bottom left corner before the Espanyol defender shoveled it, locking the score at 4-0.
After scoring in this game, Benzema scored 42 goals in 42 games in all competitions, at least twice as efficient as other players. In the La Liga top scorer list, Benzema also threw off second-place De Thomas with 26 goals as many as 11 goals, and it was only a matter of time before he won the La Liga Golden Boot.
After the match, Benzema, as Captain of Real Madrid, joined Marcelo in lifting the La Liga trophy. It is also the 21st title of Benzema's Real Madrid career, which includes 4 La Liga titles, 4 Champions League titles, 4 Club World Cup titles, 4 Spanish Super Cup titles, 3 European Super Cup titles, 2 Copa del Rey titles. Throughout his career, Benzema has won 29 titles. In addition to Real Madrid's 21 crowns, he has won the title seven times with Lyon and has also won the UEFA Nations League with the French national team.
After a dazzling season, Benzema is undoubtedly the biggest favourite at this year's Ballon d'Or. Real Madrid president Florentino has publicly created momentum for him: "Now no one can question Benzema's possession of the ball of gold, no one can steal his ball of gold. Indeed, with dazzling personal data and team champions, 2022 may really be a "bumper year" for 34-year-old Benzema.