Ronaldo all smiles again, but for how long can Benitez keep him happy?

The Portuguese looked content after a tense week in Australia, but his new coach must build a harmonious relationship if the two are to lead Madrid to success this season

This was what the Real Madrid fans will have wanted to see. A convincing 4-1 win over Manchester City was the perfect response after a dour draw against Roma. And perhaps more importantly, Cristiano Ronaldo was smiling again.

The Portuguese publicly backed former coach Carlo Ancelotti just days before his sacking in May, writing on Twitter that he hoped he would continue working with the Italian. That was a clear message to president Florentino Perez that he did not want another managerial change. Nor did he want to work with Rafa Benitez.

Earlier this month, he then said that he was looking forward to linking up with the Spanish coach. "I really want to start working with Benitez," he told television cameras in Portugal. His body language and facial expression, however, said otherwise and he warned: "It's a challenge to coach at the biggest club in the world."

Benitez then upset Madrid's main man when he was asked if Ronaldo was the best player in the world. "It's enough to say he's one of the best," the former Liverpool and Napoli boss said. It isn't enough, however - not for anyone at Real. Even the 16-year-old Martin Odegaard (a self-proclaimed Lionel Messi fan) had said at his Real unveiling in January that Ronaldo was the best.

Whether Benitez was trying to tell the Portuguese that he is the boss or motivate his prized player, it was the wrong thing to say and sure enough, Rafa rectified on Thursday, likely advised by someone senior at the club. "Working with Ronaldo, you realise just why he is the best in the world," the Spaniard said.




That followed some tense training sessions in Australia ahead of the City clash at Melbourne's MCG, with Ronaldo lashing out at Benitez for disallowing his goal during a practice match on Wednesday.

Ronaldo was also less than impressed with the crossbar challenge-style drill introduced by Benitez during the same session.

The Portuguese's take on the exercise couldn't have been more blunt: "We're supposed to be putting the ball in there, the net, not this s***."

In reality, Ronaldo's frustrations run deeper. Unhappy at the treatment of Ancelotti, the sale of Angel Di Maria last year and the situation surrounding Sergio Ramos this summer, the Portuguese is disillusioned at the direction taken by the club since winning La Decima last year and the tinkering by president Perez.

On Friday, the 30-year-old looked like he usually does on the pitch for Madrid. Standing on tip-toes for the team picture ahead of kick-off, he appeared bemused by Karim Benzema's superb strike that gave Madrid the lead, but was all smiles when he scored his side's second, latching onto a wonderful pass by Toni Kroos to lob Joe Hart, who palmed away the effort although only after it had already crossed the line.

Ronaldo also played a couple of fantastic back-heeled passes and looked his hungry self in front of goal, but was happy to go off after 64 minutes and was all smiles again with his thumbs up for the cameras later as Madrid's players were awarded the Champions Cup trophy.

So it was a happy ending to a tense week for Benitez and the club's finest footballer, but major silverware is what the Spanish side really need after a difficult summer and a season in which they lost out to Barcelona in all the major competitions. And with tensions there already between player and coach, perhaps the biggest challenge for Rafa right now is to keep Cristiano happy throughout this coming campaign.

Madrid's season will surely depend on it.