Video: Benzema reopens Ronaldo’s old wounds with a new comment

In an interview with Brazilian channel ‘Canal Goat’ after Al-Khulood’s match against Al-Hilal in Saturday’s Roshen League fixture, Karim Benzema was shown an old photo of himself wearing the shirt of his childhood hero, Ronaldo Nazário.

When asked for his thoughts, Benzema replied: “Ronaldo was my biggest inspiration in football; he was always the best. I don’t think there’s another striker like him in my eyes.”

“I’m a striker too, and as I said, there’s no one like him,” he added. “Everyone knows he’s my favourite player, and for me, he’s still the best.”

Benzema’s seemingly harmless remark has reopened old wounds for Ronaldo, as tensions between the pair flared last season.

Ronaldo had previously claimed last season that he was the best in history, but Benzema responded to this remark following the victory over Al-Hilal with Al-Ittihad (4-1).

“Everyone is free to say what they like,” Benzema noted. “If he believes he’s the best player in history, that’s his opinion.”

He then stressed his own perspective: “For me, there are many great players—I personally prefer Ronaldo Nazário, the Brazilian legend—but at the same time, Cristiano is still Cristiano.”

He concluded: “I don’t like comparing players; each player has their own story, and Cristiano has his own career.”

Benzema later reposted a photo of himself wearing Ronaldo’s shirt on his official Instagram account, a move many interpreted as a further dig at Cristiano.

Benzema inspired Al-Hilal to a resounding 6-0 win over Al-Khulood on Thursday in Round 29.

Benzema netted a superb hat-trick—his second for the club—taking his tally to eight goals in seven appearances for the “Leaders of Asia”.

It was his 20th career hat-trick and seventh in Saudi Arabia, taking his tally to five for Al-Ittihad and two for Al-Hilal.