“He was not selfish at all despite his great talent” - Denis Cheryshev opens up on playing with Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid
Former Real Madrid player Denis Cheryshev lavished praise on his ex-teammates Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in a recent interview.
The Russian international, who came through the ranks at Real Madrid's B-team before breaking into the senior side in 2012, played a few games alongside Benzema and Ronaldo.
For almost a decade, the prolific attackers combined to devastating effect for Los Blancos, scoring goals left, right and centre, while guiding their side to a multitude of trophies.
Cheryshev had nothing but kind words for the two Real Madrid legends. He hailed Ronaldo for his impact on the field while calling Benzema a 'special' talent.
Speaking to the Spanish news site, AS, he said (via Madrid Universal):
“Before I became a professional when I went on the field as a member of the youth team, I admired Guti for his ability to change games when he sat on the bench. Then I met him in some training with Pellegrini and I was amazed by his quality.
“Later I met Ozil, who was similar to him because of the tremendous quality he had. Cristiano clearly makes an impact and I liked Benzema because he was not selfish at all despite his great talent."
Cheryshev's words would certainly resonate with the most passionate of Real Madrid supporters. Ronaldo was the face of the club for nine years, while Benzema complemented him aptly.
After Ronaldo's departure in 2018, Benzema stepped up and carried the side on his shoulders for another five years before leaving for Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad this summer.
Together, the players accrued over a thousand appearances for Real Madrid and netted over 800 goals.
Young and exuberant Real Madrid thriving without old guards
Most of Real Madrid's legends, especially those that were part of their historic Champions League 'three-peat', are long gone, but the side continue to thrive.
In the 2023-24 season, Los Blancos have looked strong, sitting just two points adrift of leaders Girona on the La Liga table, while cantering into the knockout stages of the Champions League by comfortably winning the group.
This is a new-look Real Madrid squad, with more focus on young and dynamic players such as Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Brahim Diaz and Eduardo Camavinga.
Credit also goes to manager Carlo Ancelotti, who has managed to bring the best out of his players as the side looks to compete for more trophies this season.