Karim Benzema says he has become more ambitious since Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid, even as he praises the Portuguese star for guiding him during their years as teammates in Spain.
After winning everything with Los Blancos, CR7 left the club to join Juventus in 2018 after eight years at the Santiago Bernabeu.
And, in the following years, Benzema had more space and gradually took the role of the team’s leader with his goals and contribution on the pitch.
This year, he is the absolute favorite to win the Ballon d’Or, the first in his career.
“It is true that I have scored more goals since he left. But, when he (Ronaldo) was here, I was assisting and he helped me a lot, on and off the field,” Benzema declared at the press conference before tonight’s European Super Cup match.
“But I knew I could do more. When he left, it was time to change my game and my ambitions changed and grew. So far, it’s going well”, continued the French representative.
He had joined the royal club in 2009 from Olympique Lyon, while for a long time he had remained as a shadow of Ronaldo.
He had only twice reached the 20-goal mark in the league before Ronaldo’s departure.
Since then, he has scored at least 21 goals in the last four seasons, netting a total of 131 times in all competitions, as he helped Real to the Champions League trophy last season.
In recent years, Benzema has become one of the best, if not the best, players in the world, even if he doesn’t like the subject.
“I’m not going to say if I’m better or not. But every year I try to give my best for the best club in the world. I have to play at the highest levels every year, but it is true that the level of the last season was quite good. I just try to help the team in every game”, underlined Benzema.
“I am not thinking about Marcelo’s record, but I will try to win as many trophies as possible. I have always said that collective trophies are more important than individual ones”, concluded the dangerous French attacker.