'I knew I could do better': Benzema on improving since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure

In the latest press conference, Karim Benzema was asked to comment on how his game improved since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

"After Cristiano's departure, I started scoring more. With him, I gave more assists, he used to help me a lot.

"You have to always work to the benefit of the team, to play the most useful role possible, to complete your teammates and make the team better.

"I knew that I could do better, and when Cristiano left, I understood that the time came to change, both in terms of playstyle and ambition. And that's what I did."

Ronaldo left in 2018. In the four seasons since then, Benzema scored 30 goals or more on three occasions. With Ronaldo on the team, that happened only once - back in the 2011/12 season.

Without Ronaldo, the Frenchman became the focal point of Real Madrid's attacks. Karim remained as involved in the build-up, but he also started getting more balls fed to him.

Source: Real Madrid (h/t La Saeta Rubia)