Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has revealed his delight after matching former Brazilian striker Ronaldo's total of goals for Los Blancos.

A brace in the 4-2 win over Villarreal at the weekend moved Benzema onto 104 goals in all competitions for Madrid, drawing him level with club legend Ronaldo.

"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."

Ronaldo, 37, retired from professional football in 2011.