Ronaldo is the best in the world - Benitez

No one better than Ronaldo at the moment

Benitez: There is no debate - Ronaldo is the world's best

Ronaldo’s hat-trick against Shakhtar Donetsk has prompted Benitez to declare that the Portuguese is unquestionably at the pinnacle of the football world.

The Real Madrid forward scored five goals against Espanyol at the weekend and took his tally to eight goals in two matches on Tuesday night, breaking Raul’s record in La Liga on the way.

Benitez however claims that he isn’t sure if Ronaldo is the best player he’s ever coached, but he certainly is the best player in the world at the moment.

"There is no debate - he is the best in the world. I hold him in the highest regard," he said.

"I'm surprised that so much attention is paid to what people say about Cristiano and not to what happens on the field."

Real Madrid boss was also particularly delighted by the number of chances that his side created during the match.

"It was a difficult game. They're a good team in possession, they move between the lines and switch the play well, which makes it difficult to get control of the game," added the former Liverpool boss, according to Foufourtwo.

"In spite of all that, and without playing brilliantly, we did create a lot of chances."