As per the Daily Mail, Carlo Ancelotti has made a bold claim about Karim Benzema. The Italian has claimed that the striker got better after the departure of the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Carlo Ancelotti said, "I think Karim Benzema became a leader of the team when Ronaldo left because at that time he had more responsibility. Cristiano Ronaldo was a player that was scoring around 50 goals a season and without him, Madrid had more difficulties scoring goals."

The Real Madrid manager would also add that Karim Benzema is not a striker but a "complete player". He added the same for Luka Modric and claimed that the duo are the beacons of the club. 

Carlo Ancelotti is certainly not a stranger to Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo's partnership. The Italian was the Real Madrid manager between 2013 and 2015. Ancelotti also helped the club win the UEFA Champions League title in 2013/14.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored 450 goals in just 438 appearances for Real Madrid before leaving the club in 2018. The Portuguese icon has since played for Juventus before joining Manchester United last summer. 

Karim Benzema on the other hand has become the focal point of Real Madrid's attack since then. The Frenchman has scored 44 goals this season, 20 more than Cristiano Ronaldo's tally at Manchester United. Nevertheless, both forwards shared a great bond in Madrid and have continued to do so since going different ways. 




Benzema needs to step up for the UEFA Champions League Final vs Liverpool!

Karim Benzema has scored 15 goals in the UEFA Champions League this season. The Frenchman is his team's biggest attacking threat as stated earlier. Hence he would need to step up against the formidable Liverpool defence. 

Virgil Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Joel Matip, and Trent Alexander-Arnold form a formidable backline for Liverpool. Hence Karim Benzema would have to be at his best if he is to score past the Reds and help Real Madrid win their 14th UEFA Champions League title later this month.