Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldowere once team-mates at Real Madrid, with a Portuguese superstar casting a sizeable shadow over his French colleague at Santiago Bernabeu as he set about re-writing the history books.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner left Spain for Juventus in 2018, allowing another proven frontman to step up for the Blancos and demonstrate that he can be a talismanic presence in his own right.
Ronaldo has remained a prolific source of goals in Italy and back in England with Manchester United, but has he been able to keep pace with a rejuvenated Benzema in the last four years? GOAL takes a look…
Benzema vs Ronaldo: Who has scored the most goals since 2018?
Across nine memorable years in Madrid, Ronaldo registered a quite remarkable haul of 450 goals in 438 appearances across all competitions – helping the Blancos to two La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns.
In the same period, having also been acquired in a stunning summer transfer window of 2009, Benzema found the target on 192 occasions through 412 outings.
The French forward did break the 20-goal barrier in six successive seasons, registering a best return of 32 in 2011-12, but forever found himself being eclipsed by Ronaldo – who only dipped below 40 goals once during his time with Real and hit 61 efforts in 2014-15.
After choosing to sever ties with the Blancos, Ronaldo took his considerable talents to Italy and became a centurion once again while at Juventus.
Ronaldo scored 101 goals in 134 games for the Bianconeri, while a further 24 strikes have been recorded since returning to Manchester United for a second spell in the summer of 2021.
In total, the all-time leading goalscorer in the history of men’s international football – while also being a record holder at Real and in the Champions League – has found the target 125 times since packing his bags in Spain at a rate of 0.72 per game.
Notably, the absence of Ronaldo at the Bernabeu has allowed Benzema to flourish, with the France international taking his game to even greater heights.
He is 34 years of age, but is setting personal bests in the 2021-22 campaign after becoming a regular beyond the 30-goal mark.
Benzema, who was welcomed back from the international wilderness by France in 2021, has hit 44 goals for Real this season alone and has 131 to his name since seeing Ronaldo bid farewell to the Blancos, at 0.69 per game.
Benzema goals since 2018
Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | 21 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 30 |
2019-20 | 21 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 27 |
2020-21 | 23 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 30 |
2021-22 | 27 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 44 |
Total | 92 | 5 | 30 | 4 | 131 |
Ronaldo goals since 2018
Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-19 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 28 |
2019-20 | 31 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 37 |
2020-21 | 29 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 36 |
2021-22 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 24 |
Total | 99 | 4 | 20 | 2 | 125 |
Tables correct at time of writing on 16/05/2022
Benzema vs Ronaldo: Who has won the most trophies since 2018?
While there is little to choose between Ronaldo and Benzema in the grand scheme of things, it is interesting to note where their goals have come.
Both men are expected to be talismanic figures for their respective clubs, with their presence intended to bring major silverware into reach.
Ronaldo has registered more league goals than Benzema since leaving Real (99 to 92), but the fearsome Frenchman holds an upper-hand in the Champions League (30 to 20).
The pair have enjoyed domestic title triumphs since parting ways, with Juve claiming two Serie A crowns with a Portuguese icon on their books while Madrid enjoyed domestic dominance in 2019-20.
The Blancos have also won the Spanish Super Cup on a couple of occasions since 2018, while Ronaldo enjoyed a Coppa Italia success and two Supercoppa Italiana victories during his days in Turin.
Benzema trophies since 2018
Competition | Year(s) won |
|---|---|
La Liga | 2019-20, 2021-22 |
Supercopa de Espana | 2019-20, 2021-22 |
FIFA Club World Cup | 2018 |
Ronaldo trophies since 2018
Competition | Year(s) won |
|---|---|
Serie A | 2018-19, 2019-20 |
Coppa Italia | 2020-21 |
Supercoppa Italiana | 2018, 2020 |
Tables correct at time of writing on 16/05/2022