Real Madrid got off to a flying start to the new UEFA Champions League campaign under new boss Rafael Benitez with a 4-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk. Following the win, Rafael Benitez hailed hat-trick hero Cristiano Ronaldo as the best in the world.
Ronaldo has now scored 8 goals in his last 2 games after having gone 4 competitive games without scoring for club and country.
The Real Madrid talisman has now netted an incredible 4 hat-tricks in his last 6 competitive games for Real Madrid.
Benitez hails Ronaldo as the best in the world
Ronaldo has been competing with Lionel Messi for years now for the tag of the world’s best player. Benitez had raised eyebrows before the game when he claimed that Ronaldo was among the best players in the world that he had coached, which was interpreted by some as Ronaldo not being the best, but, one among the best.
Following Real Madrid’s win, Benitez left no doubt as to what he thought of Ronaldo.
He was quoted by ESPN FC as saying:
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“I am surprised that you go on and on about what someone says and not about what happens on the pitch and what the team does,” he said. “I said yesterday that he plays for our team and that he is the best player in the world.
“I am going to repeat it so that there are no remaining doubts. I know Cristiano Ronaldo’s value and performance level; he is the best in the world and is showing that in games and every training session.
“He is the best player in the world and, from now onwards, each time that you ask me I am going to say yes, let’s end this issue about what I said and focus on what happens on the pitch.”