Real Madrid 1-0 Espanyol: 3 things we learned, LaLiga 2018-19

#2 Benzema would flourish as the focal point of Real's attack

Benzema is a rejuvenated player

Ronaldo and Benzema both arrived Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, with the former arriving as the best player in the world, and the latter with a reputation of being a lethal goalscorer owing to his impressive feats with Lyon in Ligue 1.

Over the next nine seasons, both men's fates were intertwined as they won a plethora of trophies together including four Champions League trophies, but on an individual level, they had markedly different outcomes.

Whereas Ronaldo became the star of the show and grabbed all the headlines due to his otherworldly goalscoring stats, Benzema became the sideshow, the one who sacrificed all of his scorer's instincts in a bid to make Ronaldo score goals and cement his legacy.

Early on in their partnership together, Benzema flourished and hit 20+ goals for six consecutive seasons between 2011 and 2016, but in the last two seasons, he has seen his performance levels drop, and criticisms were levelled against the Frenchman over his low scoring returns.

He, however, had staunch allies in Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane, but his performances raised doubts over his suitability as a centre-forward for a club the size of Real Madrid.

After Ronaldo departed, many believed the club would rid itself of Benzema and rumours surfaced that Napoli had made inquiries, but in a shock move, new manager Julen Lopetegui decided to stick with the French Man, and it is a decision which has reaped dividends.

In just five La Liga matches, Karim Benzema has scored four goals (which is just one short of his total tally in 32 appearances last season).

Benzema plays like a man with his confidence renewed, and even though he didn't find the back of the net against Espanyol, he was constantly full of running and was a threat to the Catalans' backline throughout the match.

Ronaldo's departure has paved the way for Benzema to lead the line for the first time since his arrival, and on the basis of what we've seen so far, he would excel in the role, and Real fans can finally get a glimpse of what he was about earlier in his career.