Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has claimed Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo's exit from the Santiago Bernabeu has helped Karim Benzema become a better player.
The Frenchman has been in sensational form for Los Blancos this season as they've regained their La Liga title and also have the opportunity to be crowned European champions. Benzema tops the goalscoring charts in the Spanish top flight and the elite European competition.
Benzema has scored 43 goals in all competitions this season, an incredible achievement when you consider he managed to score just 12 in Ronaldo's final season in Madrid. And Ancelotti believes the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's exit has helped Benzema to grow as a player.
"I have difficulty calling Benzema only a centre-forward because he’s a fantastic player that’s playing from the front," Ancelotti told SiriusXM FC (via Football Espana ). "He’s not only a top scorer but he also provides assists for his teammates and partakes in the build-up of play.
READ MORE: How Ronaldo is helping United's Class of 2022 in Youth Cup quest
"He’s a complete player and for us, he’s really important because he scores so many goals. He’s a top, top player and I think he’s the best right now.
"It’s the same with [Luka] Modric. It doesn’t seem like he’s 36 because he still has the enthusiasm to play, the professionalism to be at the top all the time. They’re both really important for us.
"I think Karim became a leader of the team when [Cristiano] Ronaldo left because at that time he had more responsibility. Ronaldo was a player that was scoring around 50 goals a season and without him, Madrid had more difficulties to score goals.
"Karim took on this responsibility and became more important for the team. But this squad has a lot of leaders."
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