Benzema hungry for more after Madrid milestone

Madrid, November 8: Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema believes his performances are misunderstood as he vowed to continue to "rewrite the history books".

Benzema, 30, scored his 200th and 201st goals for Madrid with a brace in his team's 5-0 thrashing of Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The much-maligned Frenchman now has nine goals in 17 games this season, including three in the Champions League.

Benzema feels his efforts are sometimes misunderstood, saying he wanted to continue contributing in several ways for Madrid.

"I play football to rewrite the history books and sometimes people don't understand what I do out on the pitch," he said, via the club's website.

"I'm there to help my team-mates and give my all. I sometimes score and other times I don't. But the important thing is that we win silverware.

"I'm 30 now and that's always been the case. I'm very proud of my goals, it's a big tally and that gives me the confidence to go on and score more. However, it's not just all about the goals, you've got to be a good footballer to be a good striker.

"When I take to the pitch I want to score goals, but am also keen to provide assists, defend, attack… do the job that a forward does."

The win was Madrid's third straight since caretaker coach Santiago Solari replaced Julen Lopetegui at the helm.

Benzema said Solari, whose future remains unclear, had the support of the players.

"Solari was also a Real Madrid player and he knows a lot about the game. The team's fortunes have changed and let's hope that continues," he said.

"Why wouldn't we back Solari to the hilt? He's doing a good job."