Cristiano Ronaldo is Real Madrid's only 'undisputable' player - Rafa Benitez

Rafael Benitez insists Cristiano Ronaldo will continue taking free kicks despite criticism of his scoring record, after Real Madrid's hard-fought win over Granada.

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is the only "undisputable" player at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, according to coach Rafa Benitez.
Ronaldo, 30, has been Madrid's undeniable attacking leader for each of the last six seasons, but there was a suggestion earlier this season top billing could now be at least shared with €100 million signing Gareth Bale.
This feeling grew through the opening weeks as Bale was moved to a more central attacking role and Ronaldo was scoreless through his first two games, while some local pundits thought Benitez had not adequately recognised the Portugal captain's status in public.

ALL-TIME HIGHEST TRANSFER FEES

1) £85m Gareth Bale -- Tottenham to Real Madrid, Sept. 2013
2) £80m Cristiano Ronaldo -- Man Utd to R. Madrid, June 2009
3) £75m Luis Suarez -- Liverpool to Barcelona, July 2014
4) £71m James Rodriguez -- Monaco to Real Madrid, July 2014
5) £59.7m Angel Di Maria -- Real Madrid to Man Utd, Aug. 2014
6) £56m Kaka -- AC Milan to Real Madrid, June 2009

However an injury to the Welshman, and Cristiano scoring eight times in two games against Espanyol and Shakhtar Donetsk, has banished any such thoughts, and Los Blancos coach told a news conference ahead of Wednesday's trip to Athletic Bilbao that even in a squad of stars one in particular shone particularly brightly.
"Here there is one undisputable player -- which is Cristiano," Benitez said. "And then other players who have to show they are the best.
"This is a group of players of such high level, all with their own personalities. They all know that Cristiano adds something extra, he can make the difference. In no moment have I thought about favouring anyone, just about the team. To do that you must look to a player who scores 60 goals. From there you must look to get the best performance out of Bale, James [Rodriguez], Isco, [Karim] Benzema..."

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Ronaldo needs just one more goal to bring up 500 career strikes for club and country, while he needs two more to match Raul Gonzalez's Los Blancos club record total of 323 goals in all competitions. Meanwhile, starting the season with five consecutive clean sheets is also a record now held by Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas, even though the Costa Rican almost left the club midway through that run on transfer deadline day.
Benitez said that beating such records was not really a preoccupation -- he just wanted to get three points from every game, including this difficult encounter at San Mames.
"I have no obsession with the team not conceding goals, I want them to play well, and score goals, and not concede many chances," he said.
"If we win, I am happy. Then if Cristiano scores five goals, or Keylor keeps clean sheet, even happier. But our aim is for team to win the match -- later if records are broken, even better."

Cristiano Ronaldo's hat trick against Shakhtar Donetsk last week was his 33rd for Real Madrid.

Madrid were beaten 1-0 at San Mames last season, and Ronaldo was sent off in a 1-1 draw the previous year, and Benitez said he knows a tough test lies in wait.
"It is not a test of fire, but we know they are a difficult opponent," he said. "Madrid lost there last year. We must be focused, do what we have been doing, if possible with more intensity if that's possible.
"They have Raul Garcia and Aritz Aduriz up front, and are a hard-working team, their coach has clear ideas, and they have the supportive atmosphere in their stadium. We must be ready as we know it will be a very difficult game."
Madrid have won their last four games on an aggregate score of 16-0, but were decided fortunate to beat Granada 1-0 at home last Saturday, with whistles from the home crowd at the end. Rafa said he was nonetheless sure the Bernabeu fans understood it was early days yet in the season.
"We were blocked up tactically [against Granada], and we made mistakes ourselves," he said. "But even still we had eight chances, 20 shots, won the game without conceding.
"Madrid's fans know we have started better than other seasons, that it's difficult after replacing the coach, but we are winning games. They know it is not easy -- you cannot win a race in the first curve, but you can lose it. I believe we are going at the right pace at the moment. The important thing is to be at the right place at the end of the season."
Benitez's handling of midfielder Toni Kroos has been a subject of debate in the local press, with the Germany international yet to complete the 90 minutes in any of Madrid's La Liga games this season.
The former Liverpool and Chelsea coach played down the issue, while saying Kroos had areas to improve upon.
"We must move better, and have lines of passes better, so we can bring the ball out," he said. "Toni was one of the players who ran least [against Granada]. With Toni I have had many chats -- luckily I can speak with him in English. He knows very clearly what I want, and we agree on almost everything.
"He must work to give the performances that we want. Now there is more competition for places, which is good for the team."