Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has hailed Karim Benzema for picking up the baton after Cristiano Ronaldo's departure three years ago.

Kroos admits Real had to regroup after the Manchester United striker left for Juventus, while Gareth Bale's form suddenly collapsed.

On Benzema, he told ZDF: "It wasn't easy to become an even better player. I've been seeing him for eight seasons in all kinds of different roles, not in other positions, but in terms of the jobs he did.

"There were times when he had to pull the cart with his goals and others in which he used to look more to his right and left. Cristiano scored 50 goals per season for you and Gareth was also on the left in his best years. Those two pillars fell from us. Others came like Vinicius or Rodrygo, who are evolving very well, but we weren't able to cover Cristiano's 50 goals with just one player until Karim took on that role to perfection."