The France star netted twice against Eibar to seal three points and the coach feels he is having another excellent season

Zinedine Zidane insisted Karim Benzema has always been a "hugely important player" for Real Madrid after his two-goal haul.

Benzema – wearing the captain's armband – maintained his fine form for the Spanish and European giants with a double as he helped rescue a 2-1 win over Eibar at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Madrid trailed at half-time but Benzema netted a towering header to restore parity approaching the hour-mark before the 31-year-old repeated the feat with nine minutes remaining.

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Benzema – who arrived from Lyon in 2009 – has scored 17 La Liga goals this season and four in his past three league games, earning praise from Zidane.

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"He's always been crucial for the team," Zidane said of his French compatriot. "He's scoring more goals now but he's always been a hugely important player. I want to speak about the team.

"Karim knows very well that the team has been vital for him too and I want to stress just that.

"I'm delighted for Karim. But every player has reacted well, played for pride and looked to win the game.


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"Karim is having a great season and he's scoring a lot of goals. People's perception of him has changed as a result, but he's always been a crucial player."

Benzema, who only managed five La Liga goals last season, has scored 26 goals in all competitions this term.

Madrid – already out of the Champions League and Copa del Rey – are third and 13 points behind leaders Barcelona.