Cristiano Ronaldo's last goal for Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo scored 451 goals for Real Madrid, although for some it is 450 because they take away a free-kick that hit Pepe's back against Real Sociedad. Cristiano left Real Madrid after that, spoiling the party in Kyiv even before Sergio Ramos lifted Los Blancos' 13th Champions League trophy, but he left a seed that in the course of three-and-a-half seasons has blossomed into another great goalscorer.

Karim Benzema will not match Cristiano's 451 goals, or even 450, but, health permitting, he will leave the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu as the second-highest goalscorer in the club's history. The departure of the Portuguese has brought about a transformation in Karim, and he now surpasses him even when it comes to scoring goals, the only record in which he could not compete with the former No.7, because in all other areas he was and is superior. In reality, no one can match Benzema's understanding of attacking play, a science that he used to put almost exclusively at the service of Real Madrid's alpha male, but which he now also exploits for his own benefit.

His 301 goals are not bad for a player whose critics, who could not see beyond statistics, criticised for his lack of a cutting edge. But above and beyond the goals is the profound change in the relationship between Benzema and Real Madrid. The Frenchman understood that the team needed a different version of him, a change that began with his personal routines (at 34 he's as sharp as ever) and that became a crisis on the pitch. With 109 goals since Cristiano's departure, he has become Real Madrid's leading light, boosted by the explosion of Vinicius Junior, both of whom hold the key to unlocking Los Blancos' dreams this season.