Cristiano Ronaldo was full of praise for Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema after the pair took apart Athletic Bilbao.
Ronaldo scored a hat-trick while Benzema claimed a brace – the second goal of which came from Ronaldo’s unselfish assist – in a 5-0 hammering of the Basques.
“I’m happy for Karim. He’s the best striker in the League and one of the best in the world,” Ronaldo said after the match, AS reports.
“The criticism he’s had is part of being a footballer and we have to be above such things.
“We like playing together, with Gareth Bale, and we’re very happy.
“We’re improving, as the Coach said, we’re improving in some aspects and we’re growing. There is room for improvement.
“The team has played well and we’ve got five goals without reply. We’re very happy.”
