Fitness Freak Cristiano Ronaldo Couldn't 'Stand The Training Benzema Does': Details

Cristiano Ronaldo, who is known to be a fitness freak, could not "stand the training" that Karim Benzema does, according to the Real Madrid striker's personal trainer.

Benzema, who is the current holder of the Ballon d'Or award, is struggling in the 2022-23 season because of injuries. He had already missed about nine games this season before picking up another injury earlier this month.

The French forward sustained a leg injury in Real Madrid's 2-0 win over Valencia at Santiago Bernabeu. The latest injury also sidelined Benzema from Real Madrid's Club World Cup squad.

However, the 35-year-old forward is working harder than ever on his fitness to make a comeback. Even Ronaldo would struggle to cope with Benzema's ongoing level of fitness routine, the Frenchman's personal trainer Javier Atalaya has claimed.

"Karim is getting better every day. He is at home, without having anything to do, and he goes down to the gym to train. The Frenchman's mentality involves improving every day. Even Cristiano could not stand the training that Benzema does," Atalaya said in an interview.

Being one of the greatest soccer players of all-time and going strong even at the age of 38, Ronaldo maintains a strict fitness routine to keep his body toned. One of the key factors behind Ronaldo's unbelievable fitness is consistency as the former Real Madrid star trains regularly for three to four hours, five times a week, to keep his body fat low.

It is believed that Ronaldo's uncompromising weekly routine includes high-intensity workouts like lunges, squats, push-ups, bench-ups, and deadlifts, among several other exercises.

However, since Atalaya also worked closely with Ronaldo when the Portuguese forward was in Real Madrid, he is well placed to comment on whether Ronaldo would be able to contend with what is being asked of Benzema at the Los Blancos club.

Out of Real Madrid's 32 matches in all competitions in the 2022-23 campaign, Benzema has featured in just 21, scoring 13 goals and providing three assists. These numbers are extremely contrasting to the former Lyon forward's stats from the previous season, in which he ended with an incredible 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 competitive appearances for Real Madrid. He played a key role in his side's La Liga and Champions League title victories.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo recently parted ways with European soccer as he joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr on a two-year contract.