European newspapers have hailed Karim Benzema following the Real Madrid forward's historic performance against Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinals at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Not only has Benzema led the La Liga giants to a dominant 3-1 triumph over the reigning European champions; he's also become just the second man ever to score back-to-back trebles in the knockout stages of the tournament, with Cristiano Ronaldo being the first in 2017.
And Benzema's scintillating show impressed the continent's press to such an extent that the 34-year-old featured on the front pages of L'Equipe, La Gazzetta dello Sport, and Bild, ensuring his landmark didn't go unnoticed in France, Italy and Germany respectively.
While L'Equipe is a French media outlet, La Gazzetta dello Sport, and Bild are Italian and German respectively.
L'Equipe tweet screenshot
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Meanwhile, his current teammate at the Santiago Bernabeu, Thibaut Courtois, has declared him the finest forward on the planet.
"Benzema is the best striker in the world," Thibaut Courtois said after Real's win over Chelsea. "He's showing how high his level is. We score with him, he's huge."
However, the best possible praise for the France superstar came from legendary Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who called him "God".
"K9 is Spiderman. K9 is Wolverine. K9 is that building doorman. K9 is your best friend. K9 is your grandmother. K9 is the president of the United States. K9 is the instructor you do your parachute jump with. K9 is your guardian angel. K9 is God!," he posted on Twitter.