Cristiano Ronaldo is widely considered as one of the most hard-working athletes in history and that is one of the reasons why he was able to perform at the top level for such a long time. Many would even argue that he got better in several aspects of the game as he got older. Another player who appears to have gotten better with age is Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema.
Not many could have predicted that he would go on to win the Ballon d’Or and inspire Real Madrid to a Champions League and La Liga double in the 2021/22 campaign, when he had scored just 5 league goals in the 2017/18 season.
Things would change completely for Benzema when Ronaldo left the club for Juventus though and he took up the goalscoring mantle of Real Madrid. The Frenchman has certainly delivered since then as well, not scoring less than 27 goals in any of the past four seasons.
As reported by GOAL, Benzema’s personal trainer, Javier Atalaya, has told Radio Marca about the Frenchman’s training:
"“Karim is getting better every day. He is at home, without having anything to do, and he goes down to the gym to train. The Frenchman’s mentality involves improving every day. Even Cristiano could not stand the training that Benzema does.”"
Real Madrid superstar’s trainer makes huge Ronaldo claim
Thus, it looks like Benzema’s personal trainer believes that even Ronaldo could not stand the training that the Frenchman goes through. That is a big claim for sure, when you consider how highly the Portuguese icon is regarded for his fitness.
Benzema’s performances have certainly improved in recent years. But there are serious question marks about his fitness.
He has had to deal with several injury problems this season. When he is on the pitch, he is delivering the goods for sure. But very often, he has had to spend time on the sidelines as well.
One can only hope that Benzema is able to put his fitness issues behind him moving forward, because if Real Madrid are to be successful this season, they need the Frenchman leading the line.