6 Players Who Could Possibly Replace Cristiano Ronaldo At Real Madrid
"Hala Madrid!" Those were Cristiano Ronaldo's last words to the Madridistas. Cristiano and Real Madrid were the perfect couple and enjoyed a fruitful relationship for 9 long years. His goodbye letter to the Madridistas was nothing short of being emotional.
On the 10th of July 2018, Real Madrid released a statement stating that they have agreed on a to sell their star-player Cristiano Ronaldo to Italian giants Juventus for a fee in the region of £99.2m.
Nine-years ago, he arrived at the Santiago Bernebeu for the then transfer-fee record of £80 million. And yesterday, he left the club for a somewhat meager sum of £99.2m.
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably one of the greatest footballers of all times. From the looks of things,it sure does look like Juventus have yet again found themselves a bargain.
The club that's known for its tact in the transfer market may have just conducted their best piece of business since signing Paul Pogba for free from Manchester United in 2012.
With Cristiano's departure, Real Madrid has a lot of thinking to do. Last season was a somewhat mixed-season. They failed to perform domestically and yet won their 3rd consecutive Champions League title. Their star manager and star player have left. In short, they have some major rebuilding to do in this transfer window.
Thankfully, despite Cristiano's departure, they are still a team that's packed with abundant talent. But Real Madrid needs a Galatico now more than ever.
Cristiano's departure has given the club some money to invest in another player. Not like there's ever any shortage of money at Real Madrid but still, it sure does make making a big-money transfer easier on account of FFP rules.
There's no doubt that the club has loads of talent from within its ranks already. However, if they want to compete at the biggest stages of European club football and outdo their rivals Barcelona domestically, they desperately need to bring in a Galactico this transfer window.
Here are some of the prime candidates who Real Madrid can bring in to fill the massive shoes left behind by Cristiano Ronaldo:
#6 Mohammed Salah (Liverpool)
Mohammed Salah was a sensation last year. Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, he arguably had the best season in Europe. Had he had a slightly better World Cup and people would be talking about him having a realistic chance of winning the Ballon D'Or this year.
Last year was his breakthrough season in which he racked up a number of individual awards and rewrote the record books to include his name. In his 57 appearances for the club, he scored 48 goals and assisted 14 more. Out of the many awards that he won last year, the most notable ones would be: Premier League Golden Boot 2017-2018 & PFA Player's Player of the Year 2017-2018.
Positionally, he is almost identical to Cristiano Ronaldo. He can play well anywhere in the front-line. Right, left or even center, as the lone attacking force. However, he may not be as dynamic or charismatic as Cristiano was while playing for Real Madrid.
Another problem that Real Madrid may face while signing him would be in relation to his valuation. Only a few weeks ago did he sign a new contract with Liverpool FC. Thus, in order to prise him away from the Merseyside club, Real Madrid would be expected to cough up a sum in excess of £135m.