In the latest press conference, Karim Benzema was asked to comment on how his game improved since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
"After Cristiano's departure, I started scoring more. With him, I gave more assists, he used to help me a lot.
"You have to always work to the benefit of the team, to play the most useful role possible, to complete your teammates and make the team better.
"I knew that I could do better, and when Cristiano left, I understood that the time came to change, both in terms of playstyle and ambition. And that's what I did."
Ronaldo left in 2018. In the four seasons since then, Benzema scored 30 goals or more on three occasions. With Ronaldo on the team, that happened only once - back in the 2011/12 season.
Without Ronaldo, the Frenchman became the focal point of Real Madrid's attacks. Karim remained as involved in the build-up, but he also started getting more balls fed to him.
Source: Real Madrid (h/t La Saeta Rubia)
