5 greatest attackers who never played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo
The recent transfer window announcement that Cristiano Ronaldo was set to return to Manchester United took the world by storm. This, when football fans were still reeling from Lionel Messi's decision to join Paris Saint-Germain.
Old Trafford couldn't wait to see the Portuguese maestro play and he did not disappoint, scoring two goals on his second debut with the Red Devils.
So far, the star has guided United in front of goal with six goals, a couple of which have been key to the club's current pole position in their Champions League group. However, their Premier League form leaves much to be hoped for, with United currently sitting just above mid-table obscurity.
For Ronaldo, the last few games have been problematic, with the star picking up his first (small) goal drought since his early days at the Santiago Bernabeu. Criticism has come from all angles, but Manchester United fans are hopeful that the clinical attacker will shut his critics up with his performances on the pitch.
Cristiano Ronaldo's current stats may be great, especially if he was any other player. But they are nothing compared to the Portuguese maestro who ruled La Liga with an iron foot.
Ronaldo won back-to-back Champions League titles and picked up trophies every season with Real Madrid. He also won a number of trophies and titles with Manchester United and Juventus as well. But throughout his career, there were some world-class attackers who never got the chance to play with the star.
So, without further ado, let's take a look at five such players who might have ruled the football world alongside Ronaldo if they had played for the same team.
Top attackers who never played with Cristiano Ronaldo
#5 Luis Suarez | Atletico Madrid
With the Uruguayan international spending the bulk of his career at Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo certainly had his fair share of playing against Luis Suarez. They've played in numerous El Clasicos for their clubs, but their countries also met during the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well in the Round of 16.
Barcelona selling Luis Suarez was like Real Madrid selling Cristiano Ronaldo, says Diego Forlan...
So why did they do it? 🤯 https://t.co/mHdIQiDFKU
Interestingly, if things had gone differently, Luis Suarez would have found himself in the Los Blancos jersey at the Santiago Bernabeu. The star had been ruthless for Liverpool, and both Barcelona and Madrid showed serious interest in signing him.
Suarez eventually moved to Barca, and the idea of a Suarez-Ronaldo pairing became an impossible dream.
#4 Thierry Henry | Arsenal legend
The Frenchman joined the Gunners a few years before Cristiano Ronaldo showed up on the scene at Old Trafford. However, for four years, the two stars met often during highly publicized matches between Arsenal and Manchester United.
Thierry Henry had a decisive style of play, alongside the capacity to turn the game around suddenly, and Ronaldo picked up those attributes as well.
84 - Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 84 goals in 196 games played in Premier League in six seasons with Manchester United (2003-2009), only Thierry Henry (92 with Arsenal) has found the net more often in the competition over the period. Back. https://t.co/t6QLshq7gf
Although Ronaldo's goalscoring ethics were only just coming to the fore, Henry had been Arsenal's chief goalscorer. It was during the season before the Frenchman's exit to Barcelona that Ronaldo finally crossed the 20-goals-per-season mark.
They may have met a couple of times while the stars played for Barcelona and Real Madrid, but Henry's time in Europe was already over.