“The perfect team player” - Benzema’s agent plays down claims that Frenchman was Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘lieutenant’ at Real Madrid

Karim Benzema's agent Karim Djaziri has stated that the Frenchman never played second fiddle to Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid. This comes after Benzema's hat-trick guided Los Blancos to a 3-1 win over Chelsea in the first leg of their quarter-final tie in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Djaziri has made it clear that his client performs for the betterment of his team and knows when to assert authority in the dressing room. The football agent took to Twitter to dismiss claims that Benzema was a support act for Ronaldo when he played for Real Madrid. He said:

"For those who say Benzema was CR7's lieutenant, he's never been anyone's, he's the perfect team player who improves his teammates and knows how to take leadership when his team needs it as he has made at OL (Olympique Lyonnais) on his debut and for 4 seasons at Real."

Benzema's hat-trick at Stamford Bridge has put Real Madrid one step closer to the semi-finals of the Champions League. If they make it through to the last-four stage, Los Blancos will either face Manchester City or Atletico Madrid.

The Premier League giants are currently leading their quarter-final tie with Los Rojiblancos 1-0.

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Karim Benzema took over the mantle from Cristiano Ronaldo as Real Madrid's primary source of goals

Karim Benzema has become Real Madrid's primary source of goals ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club in 2018 to join Juventus.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had nine incredible seasons in Spain, during which he scored 450 goals in 438 matches across all competitions. He also became Los Blancos' all-time record goalscorer in the process.

Ronaldo's departure did not dry up the goals at the Bernabeu, thanks to Benzema. The France international has been sensational over the last few seasons. He has scored at least 30 goals in three of his last four campaigns, including the ongoing one.

Benzema is currently having his best season since Ronaldo's departure. The forward has netted 37 goals in 36 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions so far.

This includes scoring 24 league goals in 26 matches, which has propelled Carlo Ancelotti's side to the top of the La Liga charts with eight games remaining.

The 34-year-old has been one of Real Madrid's best pieces of business over the past decade. He arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2009 from Lyon for a fee of around €35 million. Since then, he has managed to score 316 goals in 595 appearances for the La Liga giants.

The forward is currently the club's third-highest goalscorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul. He is currently just eight goals behind second-placed Raul. The former Spanish forward has 324 goals in 741 appearances for the club.