Real Madrid News
Real Madrid legend opens up on relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo: ‘I learned a lot from him’
Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. are the two biggest names at Real Madrid at the moment, and remain one of the world’s strongest attacking units on paper.
When one looks back at Real Madrid’s history, however, the current duo still will not feature anywhere near the top for the club has had many attacking combinations in the past who were superior both on paper and in terms of numbers.
One of the greatest, on that front, was the partnership between Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale – a trio that led the team to multiple UEFA Champions League successes.
Benzema on his time with Ronaldo
Benzema recently opened up to the media about his time at Real Madrid and how it was to share the field with Ronaldo when the Portuguese superstar was at the peak of his powers.
The Frenchman did not hold back in any capacity and clearly expressed how much fun he had playing with Ronaldo.
“Ronaldo? It was amazing to play with Cristiano,” the Real Madrid legend said ( h/t The Madrid Zone).
Speaking about what he learnt and picked up from the Portuguese legend, Benzema handed credit to learning several facets of his attacking game to him.
“I learned a lot from him, especially in terms of movements, runs inside the box, pressing and how to handle it.”
Finally, he expressed how it was atrocious seeing Ronaldo score goals for fun year after year at Real Madrid, more so as an on-field teammate.
“This guy was scoring more than 50 goals a season, it was unbelievable, man.”
While Ronaldo will still feature in the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Benzema will not be at the event after he announced his international retirement back in 2022.
At the club level, however, the two legends continue to share the field, albeit as rivals in Saudi Arabia.
Real Madrid opted to renew Antonio Rudiger’s contract this past summer to keep him at the club for one more season.
The 33-year-old veteran defender, though, has not been performing at his best, with physical problems taking their toll and age starting to catch up with him.
As such, the expectation is that Los Blancos will not extend his contract again when his current one expires on 30 June 2027.
Tottenham eye Antonio Rudiger
And, according to reports relayed by AS, Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a free-transfer swoop to sign Rudiger in the summer of next year.
The north London club are understood to be keen on reinforcing their backline next year and see the German defender as an option, given his experience in the Premier League and the fact that he would be available for free in the summer.
So far this season, Rudiger has played only five games for Real Madrid, amounting to a total of 396 minutes.
The 33-year-old has even chipped in with two goals, including the all-important winner in the 4-3 comeback victory over AS Roma on Wednesday night.
Time to move on?
Despite Rudiger being a hugely respected figure in the Real Madrid locker room, he is currently the third-choice centre-back for Jose Mourinho.
After all, summer signing Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen have been preferred by the manager so far in the new season.
Moreover, with Eder Militao set to return imminently after a lengthy injury layoff, Rudiger’s game-time could be impacted further.
Given the situation and factoring in Real Madrid’s plans to sign another centre-back next summer, it is pretty much evident that Rudiger does not feature in the club’s plans for beyond this season.
As such, a separation of ways seems pretty likely when his contract expires, and Tottenham are now positioning themselves as early suitors to sign Rudiger as a free agent in 2027.
