REAL MADRID star Karim Benzema has admitted that Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2018 exit helped him change his game for the better.
Benzema has stepped up to the plate since 444-goal Ronaldo’s transfer away from the club.
The Frenchman has scored 131 goals since the summer of 2018 across all competitions, helping Real win two LaLiga titles and last season’s Champions League.
His incredible goal scoring form earned him a France recall for Euro 2020, he’ll lead the line at the Qatar World Cup AND he’s favourite to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or.
And Benzema attributes his uptake in form to Ronaldo’s exit, with his focus shifting away from providing assists.
The 34-year-old said, as carried by the Irish Examiner: “It’s been different for me since Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid.
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“It’s true that I’ve scored many more goals, but when Cristiano was here, we had a different style of play, I was providing more assists.
“He really helped me on and off the pitch.
“But at that time, I did know that I could do more and when he left, it was the time to change my game, change my ambitions and I am doing that well at the moment.”
Things haven’t exactly gone to plan for Ronaldo since leaving Real.
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The 37-year-old’s adventure in Turin with Juventus failed to produce a Champions League title for the Italian giants.
And his return to Manchester United saw the Old Trafford club record a sixth placed finish in the Premier League – just about enough to book a place in the Europa League.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
