ANDl wednesday night Karim Benzema closed a historic night. He scored a Hat-Trick that elevated him against Real Madrid, surpassing the 308 goals scored by Di Stefano with the whites and the 66 of Raul in the Champions League… and at the same time he qualified his team for the quarterfinals of the Champions League in a huge comeback.
However, among so much shiny data, one slipped that deserves to be mentioned. And it is that as the companions of ‘Be Soccer Pro’ remember, Real Madrid against PSG completed 200 games without Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese left in the summer of 2018 for Turin and if there is someone who has taken a step forward after his absence, that is without a doubt Karim Benzema.
The French striker, who has scored in the Champions League every year since 2005, he scored 155 goals in 355 games played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile, the Portuguese added 371 games in those 355 games that both shared on the grass with the white shirt.
However, as in any breakup, there are those who take it better or worse once they stop living together. And if it is true that both maintain a great relationship as has been seen in many photographs or statements, The Frenchman ‘seated better’ separating from Cristiano than the other way around.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo left Madrid, these are the data for both players collected by ‘Be Soccer Pro’. Benzema is still in the Spanish capital while the Portuguese plays in Turin and (again) Manchester:
- Benzema: 180 games / 117 goals
- Cristiano Ronaldo: 164 games / 116 goals
And although these data tell us little, the big difference is the average per game that both have accumulated, where the Frenchman clearly comes out as the ‘winner’:
- Benzema: 66 minutes per game and 0.64 goals per 90 minutes (with Cristiano) vs 83 minutes per game and 0.71 goals per 90 minutes (without Cristiano)
- Cristiano Ronaldo: 86 minutes per game and 1.09 goals per 90 minutes (with Benzema) vs 85 minutes per game and 0.75 goals per 90 minutes (without Benzema)
As the data from ‘Be Soccer Pro’ shows, the performance of the Portuguese declines without the presence of Benzema at his side. Meanwhile, the Frenchman feels more protagonist and is more selfish facing the rival goal, with top-level scoring figures.
In addition, the influence on the rest of the team has also changed. Although Benzema has increased his participation in the team’s total goals, Cristiano Ronaldo has lost in this section.
- Benzema: from 8.11% of total goals in 2017/18 to 36.14% this season
- Cristiano Ronaldo: from 29.73% of the total goals in 2017/18 (figures that are close to 40% in previous seasons) to 27.78% this season
