Stranded on Los Blancos pedestal, Ronaldo took aim at the remaining supporting cast after February s defeat to Atletico Madrid left Real with no realistic chance of winning the title.
He said: I don t want to disrespect anyone, but when the best players aren t available it s harder to win. I like to play with Karim, with Bale, with Marcelo.
I m not saying the others like Lucas [Vazquez], Jese and [Mateo] Kovacic are not good players they are very good players but it s not the same.
Ronaldo later claimed his intention had only been to point out the misfortune of having Benzema and Bale unavailable.
The Portugal captain s point may have been a valid one. Madrid average a whopping 3.7 goals per game when the BBC are together, which crashes to 2.4 per game when they are split up.
Benzema returned to the side in their last game before the international break, while Bale only returned from injury two games earlier, and all three scored in the 4-0 win over Sevilla.
It was the fourth time this season all three had scored in a game for Madrid. Barca s front three have also all joined each other on the scoresheet in four outings this term.
Perhaps unlike their rivals, MSN have proven they can be more than the sum of their parts. Neymar and Suarez stepped up in Messi s absence earlier this term, scoring all 14 of Barca s goals in a five-game spell missed by the Argentine due to a knee injury.
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