Nada Special: Gary Lineker Questions the Reputation of Real Madrid's Karim Benzema During Spurs Draw

Former Barcelona forward Gary Lineker questioned the quality of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema during Tuesday night's 1-1 Champions League draw with Tottenham at the Bernabeu.

The French striker missed a glaring opportunity in the first-half and has now not scored in six of his eight appearances this season.

"Is it me or is Benzema a tad overrated?" Lineker wrote on Twitter. "A goal every other game in a team as strong as Real Madrid is nada especial. Decent not great."

Many view Benzema as an essential figure in Los Blancos' attack due to his linkup play and understanding with Cristiano Ronaldo.

But there have been calls from some quarters for the former Lyon forward to be replaced by Spurs' Harry Kane, who was instrumental in helping his side to an excellent result in the Spanish capital.

Real Madrid are rumoured to be planning a £150m move for the 24-year-old and coach Zinedine Zidane has publicly praised the prolific England international.

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"In the present what he's doing, he's a very important player, a key player for Tottenham, very good at everything but he always does it all towards the goal," he said before the game.

"He does not stay, he takes the space with speed and he's very good. He's a complete player. He didn't seem to be but in the end he is."

On Benzema, Zidane said: "Karim looks like he always does to me, every day he's getting better. He scored in Getafe and could have scored today. Patience is the key and we're now thinking about the next game."