Ronaldo finished runner-up to Lionel Messi in January's Ballon d'Or 2015 award for the best player in world men's football. Although he has previously won the award on three occasions, Messi has won it a record five times.
Ronaldo has so far scored 19 goals in La Liga for Real, who trail Barcelona by four points and have played a game more than the Catalan giants.
Zidane, who replaced Benitez at the Bernabeu last month, admits he now has a greater understanding of the stress and pressure which comes with being Real coach.
"It's always the manager's fault if the team lose," he added in Record.
"But you have to accept that responsibilty, with all the good and bad that comes with it.
"The main thing is getting my message across to the players. I only give them two or three instructions because they're extremely professional. I have a sensational group of players, I'm delighted with the work they're doing."
If Real face a difficult task to force their way back into the La Liga title reckoning, the club can look forward with greater relish to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Zidane's men qualified strongly from their group ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and next week travel to Roma for the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Real played Roma at this stage of the competition in 2008, losing 2-1 both home and away to crash out 4-2 on aggregate. A similar result this time, however, would constitute a significant upset.
- Telegraph