Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini admits he is delighted to have Cristiano Ronaldo back in the squad.
The world's most expensive player made his comeback in the UEFA Champions League win over FC Zurich at the end of November having missed 11 matches with an ankle injury.
He marked his return in style just days later in Europe's elite competition with both goals in the 2-0 win over Marseille.
Delighted with his comeback, Pellegrini confessed the club missed their star asset in every game he didn't play.
Exceptional"Cristiano is a colossus," Pellegrini told Spanish newspaper AS . "He can always make the difference in any game.
"Barcelona is all about the Messi brand and here it is all about the Cristiano brand.
"He is an exceptional player and also has a great personality.
"There is not one match when he has not played that we have not missed him."
Despite emphasising Ronaldo's talents, Pellegrini appeared keen to stress his side's ability even without such star players.
He added: "I am not taking anything away from him, but Real Madrid were able to claim top spot without him and we won in Mestalla (against Valencia) without either him or Kaka."
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