Real Madrid thought they would have Karim Benzema for the 2023/24 season and then the legendary Frenchman would leave for Saudi Arabia, but Benzema decided he was done with elite-level football.
Benzema had always said that he would leave Real Madrid well before he felt like he could not play at the highest level, because he never wanted to hold Madrid back.
The Merengues ended up signing veteran LaLiga striker – and former academy product – Joselu, but the ex-Espanyol star hasn’t been a starter for Real Madrid.
Instead, Carlo Ancelotti has utilized Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes as a forward two with 100 million euro signing Jude Bellingham behind them.
Jude has picked up the scoring slack, keeping pace in the Pichichi race with 17 goals despite being a No. 10 for Don Carlo and Real Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti actually did want an elite striker to directly replace Karim Benzema, and his request was to sign the literal best all-around striker, taking the mantle from Big Benz, in Tottenham superstar Harry Kane.
However, per a report from Relevo, Florentino Perez vetoed Ancelotti’s request to sign Kane, because he felt that Real Madrid should wait to spend on Kylian Mbappe in 2024 instead.
Had Real Madrid signed Kane in 2023 instead of Champions League semifinal opponents Bayern Munich, they may not have been able to convince Mbappe to join an attack already containing Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo, Bellingham, and the incoming Endrick.
Since Real Madrid are dominating LaLiga and are right there with Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinals, it looks like their decision to sign Joselu on loan and then Mbappe for free instead of Kane was the right one.
Of course, Bayern Munich fans will gleefully take Kane and his record-breaking numbers in the Bundesliga, especially if the England international helps Die Roten final vanquish Real Madrid in a Champions League semifinal.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.