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Karim Benzema's career has undergone an amazing transformation in the space of just a few months.

Having scored six goals in as many matches and an impressive 11 since the start of 2014, the striker's stock at Real Madrid has arguably never been higher.

As recently as Oct. 26, it looked as if Benzema’s days at Madrid were numbered. Dropped for the Clasico against Barcelona, he had scored in just one of his side’s previous 10 games. He was being consistently booed by the club’s supporters — a spell of jeering that peaked when, after missing a glorious opportunity to score, he was substituted in a Champions League tie against Juventus.

Around the same time, Benzema was enduring ridicule back in his homeland for a disastrous run of form with France. Astonishingly, he failed to score in 17 consecutive international matches.

He has since turned that drought around too, netting four goals in five caps for the national team and playing a key role in helping Les Bleus past Ukraine to qualify for the World Cup. After ending the run in October, the striker acknowledged he had suffered with his poor form for club and country, saying: "This has been the most difficult period of my career. It has been tough for me, but I never stopped believing in myself.”

It has been an up-and-down journey for the 26-year-old forward since he arrived at the Bernabeu in the summer of 2009 in a deal eventually worth over 40 million euros. It is only now that Madrid is ready to fully commit to Benzema as its main man in the No. 9 position.

At most clubs, a striker who has played more than 200 games and scored more than 100 goals would have already secured iconic status, but Benzema’s four and a half seasons have been unconventional.