Cristiano Ronaldo told to ‘pray’ and say ‘thank you’ for former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema

Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been told by a former Real Madrid striker to “pray in the morning” and show thanks for playing alongside former teammate Karim Benzema.

The Frenchman has been in the form of his career this season, netting 37 goals in as many games. This includes the hat-trick he scored in last week’s 3-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in Madrid's Champions League quarter-final first leg tie.

Since the exit of Ronaldo from the Bernabeu, Benzema has come to the forefront for Madrid and has now taken the captain’s armband. He signed for Los Blancos in the same summer as Ronaldo, joining shortly before the Portugal icon’s £80m arrival in 2009.

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In that time, he has scored 316 times in 596 games, winning four Champions Leagues, four FIFA Club World Cups and three La Ligas. Benzema’s progress was often sidelined as Ronaldo’s great goal scoring feats took centre stage during their time together at Madrid.

The 34-year-old has provided 157 assists for Real Madrid in all, many of them for Ronaldo. And now former Madrid and AC Milan striker Antionio Cassano has said the United attacker should be thanking his lucky stars that he played alongside Benzema, and should hail him for his contributions.

Speaking to Bobo TV (via Area Napoli), he said: “In football, there are not only titles and goals, Zidane scored few goals, but he is one of the greatest in history, Riquelme too.

“Goals are useful, titles are useful, but they are not the fundamental things. Cristiano Ronaldo has to pray in the morning and say, ‘Thank you, Benzema, that you played with me’.”

Ronaldo’s scoring feats have continued regardless, though,