Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema revealed that the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo allows him to spread his wings and bear the flag of Los Blancos’ front-line.

In large parts of the last decade, the Frenchman was more of an auxiliary to the Portuguese than a stand-alone number nine, with Ronaldo scoring a stunning 450 goals in 438 games during his nine years at the Bernabeu.

Speaking to France Football, Benzema stated that with Ronaldo out of the picture, the focus can be on him, as he looks to step up in front of goal, scoring 20 times in 40 appearances.

“Now I’m the leader of the attack, whereas before I used to play for Cristiano,” the 31-year-old said.

“I was always looking for him with the aim of helping him score even more goals.

“That meant that I would play in the background but now it is up to me to show that I want to score.”