Real in their best period ever: Benzema

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema on Thursday said he does not want to leave the football club, adding the UEFA Champions League defending champions are in "one of their best periods ever."

"As a forward, when you're at a club and you're a first-team regular, you don't need to look elsewhere -- especially when you're at a club like Real Madrid.

"It's very hard because you know this club, the expectations. You start each season from scratch and you have to work, and above all stay at the top," Benzema told a website IN SPORTS.

The Frenchman is into the final 12 months of the five-year contract extension.

Alongwith Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronald, Benzema is part of Madrid's "BBC" which has been a cornerstone of their success.

"There are perhaps six or seven players who have been playing together for six or seven years," Benzema, 29, said.

"I think we're in one of Real Madrid's best periods ever, it's as simple as that. The team is really very strong."

Benzema expressed his shock at Brazilian Neymar opting to leave FC Barcelona and join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in a world-record move.

"I'm not going to say I'm shocked, because he does what he wants," he said. "I thought it was bizarre, but he undoubtedly has his reasons."

--IANS

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