"He has been more decisive" - Julio Pulido chooses the more important player for Real Madrid between Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema

Reputed journalist Julio Pulido has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo is more important to Real Madrid's history than Karim Benzema. Pulido called it a “very rogue” comparison and only gave Ronaldo the edge due to the number of goals he scored for Los Blancos.

Ronaldo and Benzema both joined the club in the summer of 2009, from Manchester United and Lyon respectively. While the former was immediately given a starting role in the team, the latter had to vie with Gonzalo Higuain for his place.

Eventually, Benzema overcame the obstacles to emerge as the team’s undisputed centre-forward. Before Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018, the duo won two La Liga and four Champions League titles together, amongst other honors. The Portuguese left the club as their highest-ever goalscorer (451 goals) while the Frenchman continues to lead their attack to this day.

At Cadena Ser, Pulido was asked to pick the more important player (out of Ronaldo and Benzema) in Los Blancos’ history. Here’s what he had to say:

“It's a very rogue question. I think Cristiano Ronaldo. He has been more decisive due to the number of goals scored, but it's a complicated question because the Benzema of today is very close to Cristiano's leadership and importance. But I think that The number of goals will go down in history.”

Benzema finished the 2021-22 campaign as La Liga and Champions League’s leading goalscorer with 27 and 15 goals, respectively. He is a firm favorite to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or, which would make him the second Real Madrid player to break Lionel Messi and Ronaldo’s duopoly since 2008.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure has helped Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema to unlock his potential

In the nine years alongside Ronaldo, Benzema did not get the opportunity to thrive as the team’s undisputed talisman.

Since the 2018-19 campaign, Benzema has gotten the opportunity to play as the team’s primary goal source, and he hasn’t disappointed.

The 34-year-old reached the apex of his abilities in the recently concluded 2021-22 campaign, scoring 44 goals in 46 appearances for Real Madrid across competitions.

His 15-goal haul in the Champions League is arguably the best-ever in the tournament, with him scoring 10 knockout-round goals to take his team to the final.

He did not score in the final against Liverpool, but his work rate and contribution to the defense were outstanding.

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