He has 11 goal involvements already this season
Karim Benzema currently has the most direct goal involvements this season in Europe's top five divisions and despite this, one could still argue he is Europe's most underrated striker.
The Frenchman has started this season in spectacular fashion, grabbing six goals and five assists in just five La Liga matches, helping Real Madrid to second in the table, just one point behind local rivals Atletico with a game in hand.
His incredible start to the new campaign sees him sit at the very top of both the top goalscorer and assist leaders charts.
Not only is the 33-year-old finding the net on a regular basis, but he has also become one of Los Blancos' most important dressing-room leaders - with Madrid having come from behind to win in their last three fixtures.
On Sunday, he scored an 88th minute winner to secure all three points against Valencia.
The week before that, Madrid's No 9 helped himself to a hat-trick against Celta Vigo and prior to that, on the opening day of the season, he scored a brace to ensure that Carlo Ancelotti's side started the new campaign in the best possible fashion.
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After losing a number of key players in the summer - Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane being the most notable examples - Benzema's importance to the seven-time Champions League winners increased significantly.
Having lost out on the title to their city rivals last season, Benzema and his teammates will be desperate to regain the bragging rights this time around.
If Real are to come out on top in what currently looks to be a Madrid-based La Liga title race, then their talismanic frontman will need to continue his sensational start to the season.
Whilst he may not have been a Galactico signing when he arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2009, he is certainly proving to be one of their best acquisitions of the past two decades.
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