Karim Benzema Becomes Real Madrid's Sixth-Highest Goalscorer Following 209th Strike Against Girona

Karim Benzema moved ahead of Hugo Sanchez into sixth in the list of Real Madrid's all-time top goalscorers, after netting twice against Girona on Thursday.

Now on 209 goals, he overtook Sanchez's tally of 208 after he found the back of the net for a second time during Real's convincing 3-1 victory over Girona, which sees them move into the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.

Real confirmed Benzema's record on their official website. They wrote: "Since joining the club in 2009, Benzema has scored 209 goals, coming in La Liga (136), the Champions League (47), the Copa del Rey (20), the Club World Cup (3), the Spanish Super Cup (2) and the European Super Cup (1)."

The Frenchman will now be chasing the 242 goals registered by legendary forward Ferenc Puskas, who is currently fifth on the club's scoring charts. 

Ahead of Puskas are Santillana (290), Alfredo Di Stefano (308), Raul (323) and Cristiano Ronaldo, who netted a stunning 451 goals during his time at the Bernabeu.

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It took Benzema 446 appearances to reach his tally of 209 goals, proving that he deserves his place as one of the club's finest ever forwards. He has already registered 17 goals this season, and he is on track for one of his most prolific seasons since joining Real.

He managed just 12 goals last season, but looks to have quickly assumed the goalscoring responsibilities for the side since Ronaldo's departure to Juventus during the summer.

Benzema's finest season in a Real shirt came in the 2011/12 campaign. In 52 appearances, the striker managed to find the back of the net 32 times.