Rafael Benitez has dismissed suggestions that he is obsessed with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring in a game.
The Portuguese superstar began the season in unusual fashion after failing to score in the opening few rounds of la Liga action. He returned to form in the emphatic manner possible by scoring five against Espanyol in a game that finished as a 6-0 win for Madrid. Ever since moving to the Santiago Bernabeu, Ronaldo has transformed himself into the undisputed best player in the world. The statistics clearly show that the Portuguese has excelled over any other player on the planet in the last five years.
His goal record has been consistently improving year-on-year, but there is in danger of Ronaldo failing to match his high standards in this current campaign due to the poor start. Benitez, though, explained that everyone knows that Ronaldo is a player who can score 50 goals in a campaign. This undoubtedly brings fear into the opposition. He says that since the Portuguese manages himself extremely well off the pitch, it is easy for him to look elsewhere in the squad to improve. Benitez also spoke about the lack of playing time for striker Jese Rodriguez, who is seen as a brilliant young talent within the Madrid squad.
“The players know that Cristiano scores 50 goals a season. He makes the difference. There is one indisputable player, which is Cristiano. From there, we assess who is well and who is not. Cristiano manages his exertions well. As of today he is pretty good physically.What I want is to win. I am not obsessed with Cristiano scoring five goals or Navas not conceding. I have never thought about favouring anyone apart from the team. To manage a special group with such a high level is not easy, but I maintain individual conversations with them,” said Benitez.