“Sneak diss”, “Ronaldo slander” - Fans believe Karim Benzema fired shots at Cristiano Ronaldo in latest Instagram story

Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo are two modern-day Real Madrid icons, both of whom have won the Ballon d’Or while representing the club. However, football fans now believe that Benzema may have taken a subtle dig at Ronaldo after posting a picture of his Ballon d’Or on social media.

This speculation stems from a video on Ronaldo’s YouTube channel, where he participated in a 'this or that player' challenge with Rio Ferdinand. In the video, Ronaldo seemingly chose Real Madrid’s rising star Kylian Mbappe over his former teammate.

Additionally, Ronaldo appeared to overlook several of his former Real Madrid teammates, including Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, and Xabi Alonso, instead favoring Ryan Giggs. While he eventually dropped Giggs for Benzema, Ronaldo quickly sided with Mbappe, choosing the younger sensation over his ex-teammate.

Benzema recently posted an Instagram story featuring a picture of his 2022 Ballon d’Or, which he won after leading Real Madrid to a historic Champions League season.

Fans have speculated that Benzema’s post was a reaction to Ronaldo’s comments, suggesting he was displeased with the Portuguese legend who picked Mbappe over him. Here are some reactions:

"I know Benzema is trying to battle with Ronaldo choosing Mbappe over him,” a fan commented.

“Hold that Ronaldo,” added another fan.

Several replies also suggested that Benzema cannot compete with Ronaldo in terms of individual accolades, leaving some confused about the 36-year-old’s reaction.

“Can never be compared with Ronaldo... Far below his achievement. So, let him chill,” one fan remarked.

“Beefing with a 40-year-old,” another fan commented.

“Ronaldo has 5 times more Ballon d’Ors than Benzema, what does he want?” added another fan.

Ronaldo and Benzema notably played 342 games together at Real Madrid. The duo also won several honors together, including two La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies.

A look at Karim Benzema’s past remarks on Cristiano Ronaldo

Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo certainly had great chemistry on the pitch during their time at Real Madrid. Alongside Gareth Bale, they formed the iconic ‘BBC’ trio, which played a key role in helping Real Madrid win numerous honors.

However, in 2017, Benzema hinted that the Portuguese star could be somewhat egotistical but also admitted it didn’t bother him as it pushed him to perform at his best.

"Cristiano and I get on well and I like playing with him. He likes to play it first time. He is more egotistical than me but that’s normal, it doesn’t bother me. In the end, it’s good for me," he said (via Bleacher Report).

Benzema joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad in 2023 and acknowledged that Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence in the league had attracted high-quality players, also noting that he had improved the level of football in the country.

“It is also important that Cristiano Ronaldo is in Saudi Arabia because he is a very important player. He brings a lot to football in this country and that will raise his level of play even more,” he said (via Marca).

Although the two have arguably not been the best of friends off the pitch, it is clear that both Benzema and Ronaldo have great respect for each other’s abilities.