( CNN ) -- He started the day clutching the Ballon d'Or trophy proudly in his hands and ended it , once again , with his footballing adversaries very much at the mercy of his multi-talented feet . Cristiano Ronaldo showed why he was voted the best player in the world earlier this month with another sprightly showing on Saturday as Real Madrid beat Granada 2-0 at the Bernabeu to assume top spot in La Liga . Inevitably , it was the Portuguese forward who broke the deadlock drilling a low shot home in the 56th-minute goal -- his 22nd goal of the campaign . The 28-year-old was intimately involved in Madrid 's second , setting Marcelo free down left before the Brazilian cut in and unselfishly rolled the ball across to Karim Benzema who slotted home . Carlo Ancelotti 's side have now dropped only two points and scored 40 goals in 11 league outings since losing to Barcelona at the end of October . All of which means that Los Blancos leap from fourth to first with 53 points , two more than both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid who play Sunday . The Catalans entertain Malaga at the Nou Camp in the late kick off while Atletico travel to second-from-bottom Rayo Vallecano . Fellow strugglers Valladolid picked up what might be a valuable three points come the end of the season beating fifth place Villarreal 1-0 . Jesus Rueda 's 40th minute strike lifts Valladolid to 17th , level on 19 points with Almeria who entertain Getafe on Sunday . Over in Italy , Napoli dropped points for the second consecutive game , drawing 1-1 with relegation-threatened Chievo Verona at the Stadio San Paolo . The visitors took the lead when Gennaro Sardo scored in the 18th minute . Things were looking bleak for Rafa Benitez 's side until two minutes from the end when Spanish centerback Raul Albiol scored a last-gasp equalizer . The draw means Napoli now have 44 points and ensures they retain third spot in the table for another week even if fourth-placed Fiorentina beat Genoa on Sunday night . Chievo 's point lifts them to 16th in Serie A with 18 points , but they remain winless in six and have a battle on their hands if they want to keep a seat at Italian football 's top table . Read more : Man Utd sign Mata for 'club record fee ' Blog : How not to appoint a football manager .
Ronaldo scores a goal against the Republic of Ireland during their Euro 2016 qualifying Group F soccer match at Windsor Park on June 16, 2015 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Madrid assume top spot ahead of Barcelona and Atletico who both play Sunday . Napoli draw with Chievo Verona 1-1 in Serie A .