5 top attackers who suffered due to Cristiano Ronaldo's presence at Real Madrid
Although Cristiano Ronaldo has had a remarkable history with Manchester United, there's no denying that the attacker's best years came in the Real Madrid jersey. He joined the Spanish giants through a record-breaking transfer worth £80 million in the summer of 2009 and went on to establish himself as a legendary figure at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With a whopping 450 goals and 132 assists to his name in 438 games, it wouldn't be far-fetched to say the Portuguese is the greatest player in Real Madrid's history. He was undoubtedly the go-to guy for the team throughout his nine-year spell in Spain, making the difference in attack with his impeccable knack of goalscoring.
That, however, had its repercussions as CR7's brilliance ensured that some other top attackers remained under the radar at the Santiago Bernabeu. In this article, we'll discuss five such players who suffered due to Cristiano Ronaldo's presence at Real Madrid.
#5 Jose Callejon
Jose Callejon is a product of Real Madrid's youth setup, representing the club at both the U-17 and U-18 levels before leaving for Espanyol in the summer of 2008. A couple of promising displays in Catalonia inspired many to tip the attacker to mark an era at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Jose Callejon on Real Madrid: "They have Cristiano Ronaldo, the best player in the world at the moment: he’s complete & he has everything." https://t.co/SkI4v0YYcc
He returned to the Spanish capital in the summer of 2011. However, that came at the wrong time as Cristiano Ronaldo had already established himself as the undisputed superstar of the team after arriving from Manchester United in 2009.
There was very little Jose Callejon could do at that time, with the baton already beyond his reach. The Spaniard ended up spending just two years in the Spanish capital, recording 20 goals and seven assists to his name, before leaving for Napoli in 2013.
#4 James Rodriguez
James Rodriguez was expected to dominate the football world after completing his record-breaking transfer from Monaco to Real Madrid in the summer of 2014. Following his incredible performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the attacker was beaming with confidence as he marched into the iconic Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
James: I'm played out of position at Real Madrid dlvr.it/7WPDmF
Unfortunately, the Colombian wasn't helped by the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo already had things under control in the Spanish capital. The fact that the Portuguese kept rising to greater heights made things even more difficult for James Rodriguez.
Eventually, the Colombian couldn't reach his potential at Real Madrid. He left the club to join Premier League outfit Everton in September 2020, after bagging just 37 goals and 42 assists in 125 games.