Benzema names Brazilian Ronaldo as greatest, not Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo (L) and Karim Benzema as teammates at Real Madrid. Photo by Real Madrid

Speaking after scoring in Al Ittihad’s 4-1 victory over Al Hilal on Feb. 23, Benzema was asked about Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent claim that he is the most complete player in history.

"I think everyone can say what they want," Benzema told TNT Sports. "If he thinks he is the best in history, then he is. It depends, for me, for example, the best is Ronaldo from Brazil."

Benzema's stance contrasts with his 2014 interview with Telefoot, where he called Cristiano Ronaldo the greatest of all time. At the time, both were teammates at Real Madrid.

After Ronaldo left the club for Juventus in 2018 and later moved to Al Nassr in 2023, Benzema also departed in 2023, joining Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.

Currently, Benzema and Ronaldo are rivals in Saudi Arabia, both leading the race for the 2024-2025 Saudi Pro League top scorer with 16 goals each.

During their time together at Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018, Benzema and Ronaldo won four Champions League titles. Benzema assisted 47 of Ronaldo's 450 goals for the club, followed by Mesut Ozil, who provided 32 assists for the Portuguese star.

This is not the first time Benzema has excluded Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi from his list of greatest footballers. In a December 2023 interview with Al Ittihad, he named Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazario and himself among the best attacking players in history.

Ronaldo Nazario, 48, holds a legacy that includes two Ballon d'Or, two World Cup titles (1994 and 2002), and a stellar club career with Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid, despite suffering multiple serious knee injuries. In a recent interview, he also claimed he is better than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner who has scored 924 goals, cementing his stance as the top scorer of all time. His ultimate milestone is reaching 1,000 goals.

Benzema, 37, won a Ballon d’Or in 2022, when he was still playing for Madrid.