"I'm going to rest up to make sure that I come back fighting fit after the winter break"

The Real Madrid No. 9 failed to have any real impact against Ernesto Valverde's side and was the first player withdrawn by Zinedine Zidane as he shuffled his pack following Dani Carvajal's red card.

There were whistles and boos from some sections of the Real support as Benzema made his was off the field and just hours later, 'Gol' captured the former Lyon man as he prepared to return home for the holidays.

"I'm going to rest up to make sure I come back fighting fit, the team's in good shape, don't worry," Benzema said when asked for a comment. Benzema knows that he has plenty of work to do if he wants to win Real fans over again.

The French international finished 2017 with dismal statistics, having scored just 14 goals and laid on nine assists in the calendar year, figures that put him very much in the firing line as far as the fans are concerned.