Real Madrid: 3 players who would benefit most from a Cristiano Ronaldo transfer

CF Karim Benzema

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema needs some help. He’s been carrying the full goal-scoring load for three straight years now. Last season, the second-leading scorer on the team was center back Sergio Ramos. This season, in La Liga, it is another defense-focused player in defensive midfielder Casemiro. That is hardly ideal.

Ronaldo is a striker who starts on the left side of an attack. He is a pure goal-scorer through and through. Yes, he can create for himself off the dribble and make world-class passes, but his primary focus is to shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. Because he is paid to score goals. And a player who can score 30-40 goals in a season is a player who wins trophies. Just look at Ronaldo’s unparalleled Champions League resume.

When Ronaldo was in Madrid, Benzema had double-digit assists in La Liga in three separate seasons, which is a remarkable feat for a No. 9. But that’s because Benzema is not like most “nines”. He has the creativity of a “perfect 10”, which enabled him to drop deep and play a creative role in feeding Ronaldo.

Benzema and Ronaldo are the best of friends on the pitch and go perfectly together like peanut butter and chocolate in a Reese’s cup. While Benzema is still playing at an exceptional level without Ronaldo and has even upped his goal-scoring to the “20” range, you can tell he has missed playing with a forward who makes the off-ball decisions Ronaldo does. Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes aren’t quite there yet as developing wingers, while Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio never will be.