Benzema: How Ronaldo leaving made me better
Suraj Radia
- 18 Oct 2022 18:35 BST
- 3 min read
Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema has paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo for helping elevate his game after his former teammate left Real Madrid and sparked a change in the Frenchman’s mentality.
The duo played together in Madrid for nine seasons before the Ronaldo left for Juventus and Benzema has since taken his career to another level, culminating in being voted the best player in the world for the previous season.
Benzema has netted 136 goals in all competitions since Ronaldo’s departure four years ago, having scored just 81 in the same amount of time prior.
The striker has become the focal point of Real’s attack and he admitted after picking up the Golden Ball that he would not have achieved as much without Ronaldo’s influence.
"It was an honour to play with him, he's a beast,” Benzema said of Ronaldo. “The day he left, the ambition to be a better player then entered my head. Since he left, I've been motivated to do more things on the pitch.”
In an interview earlier this year, Benzema hinted at the tricks he had picked up from Ronaldo, saying: “"When I watched him, I tried to understand everything he did: the goals, the shots, the passes, the ball controI.
“I dissected everything about Ronaldo. That's why I can say: it's impossible to achieve the same.”
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Ronaldo departure ‘key moment’ for Benzema
Benzema’s sentiment echoed comments from former Real assistant coach Aitor Karanka, who had spoken earlier this year about the impact of Ronaldo’s departure.
“The key moment for Karim was when Cristiano left. His body language can fool you when you do not know him, but I knew that he would replace Cristiano as the leader of that team.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema's friendship is special 🥹🤍 pic.twitter.com/sSYFrOSY0B
— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) October 12, 2022
“He has aged like a fine wine. His presence alone on the pitch is important for his teammates and he can win any individual award."
Benzema’s Ballon d’Or win was just the second time in 15 years that a player other than Lionel Messi or Ronaldo had won the prestigious award, with the Manchester United legend finishing 20th in the voting.
