Ferdinand praised Benzema as the best striker

Rio Ferdinand

believe

Karim Benzema

is the best striker after

vanquished

3-1 on Wednesday.

The Frenchman netted a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge in an impressive display, before seeing how clinically Benzema converted his opportunities and that it was the second Champions League treble he had in a row.

The France international is now the fourth player in the history of the Champions League to net hat-tricks in a row following Cristiano Ronaldo’s in 2017, Lionel Messi’s in 2016 and Luiz Adriano’s in 2014.

Aside from his goalscoring, Benzema’s game and its completeness is what attracted the praise of the former Manchester United. He also hailed how he thrived following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018.

"

He is 34 and he is the best number nine in the world,"

Ferdinand said on

BT Sport

. 

"He is another level – goals, assists, link up play, slowing the game down.

"When Cristiano Ronaldo was there Benzema had the humility to sit in the background because he knew what it meant to the team, but now he has come out of the shadows."

Netting just 12 goals in Ronaldo’s last season in Madrid, the 34-year-old has scored more than 25 in each campaign since and having scored a hat-trick, he has met the target 37 times this season.

Although his impressive goals were pleasing for him, their victory gave him the ultimate satisfaction.

"

I will remember it for a long time because they are magical nights, like the other day at the Bernabeu against Paris [Saint-Germain],"

Benzema told Movistar.

"We entered the field today to win and we have shown who Real Madrid is. Things have gone well because we played well from the first minute to the last.

"All three are very important goals and I'm happier with the third because I missed one in the first half and I was thinking about it. It's very important to score goals."

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