The Frenchman says that he tries to model his game on
the now-retired striker, as well as learning as much as he can from his
"big brother", Zinedine Zidane
Karim Benzema has admitted that he watches videos of former Real Madrid and Brazil star Ronaldo before matches.
The Frenchman scored twice during Carlo Ancelotti's side's 4-2 win over Villarreal on Saturday to draw level with the now-retired 37-year-old's tally of 104 goals for los Blancos in all competitions.
However, the former Olympique Lyonnais man says that he continues to draw inspiration from the former Inter and AC Milan forward.
"I'm really happy because to go level with a player of his stature is simply awesome," Benzema told AS.
"Ronaldo is, for me, alongside [Zinedine] Zidane, the best footballer in history. I am very proud to have scored the same number of goals as him [for Madrid] and it encourages me to work even further.
"He inspired me in many respects. Firstly, his will to score goals. But I have also learned a lot from him in terms of movement in front of goal.
"I followed Ronaldo as a child and I still watch videos of him before matches."
Zidane is currently employed as an assistant coach at the Santiago Bernabeu and Benzema is grateful for the opportunity to learn from his compatriot.
"Zizou is working well with the whole team, but it's true that he and I talk a lot each day," the 26-year-old forward explained.
"Zidane is like my big brother. He advises me and makes me work specifically in front of goal.
"It works: Zidane recommended that I move a lot to the near post against Villarreal and that's how I scored my first goal."
Benzema went through a poor run of form at the beginning of the season but believes he is now back to his best.
"Physically, I'm better now," the attacker stated. "It's all forgotten now.
"I feel very good in everything I do on the pitch. I also enjoy passing to my team-mates. I just hope that everything continues."
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