With Ronaldo to Juventus now confirmed, attention is moving towards who will take his Real Madrid crown. The golden Galactico has surprised the world of football with his decision to leave his beloved Real Madrid but he has cited that the need for a change as the reason behind the move to Italy. Nevertheless, many football experts had expected Ronaldo to stay at Real Madrid to see his playing career out there.
With five Ballon d’Or trophies, five Champions League wins and the record for most UEFA Champions League goals, they are big boots to fill. His departure may give the opportunity for Gareth Bale to take a more dominant role in the team but the fans will be expecting a big money signing to compensate for losing their star man.
Potential Ronaldo replacements:
Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard has been linked with a move to Real Madrid for the last few seasons, as Chelsea have struggled in the Premier League and won’t be playing Champions League football next season. Hazard has reminded potential suitors of what he is capable of with some top-level performances for Belgium in the World Cup. With his team not making it to the final, Real Madrid could now make an approach for him to take over where Ronaldo left off. Whether that will be deemed good enough for Real Madrid, we’re not too sure.
Neymar
When Neymar decided to leave Barcelona for PSG, there was an element of surprise in the move. He was apparently sick of playing the second fiddle to Messi and wanted to be the big star of his team. But playing in the French league is seen as a demotion from La Liga, particularly as it has been a one-horse race for the majority of the past six years.
However, it is thought that Neymar wanted a move to Real Madrid but knew that Barcelona would never agree to let him go to their bitter rivals. So the plan all along could have been to spend a season at PSG before he could then get his dream move to Real Madrid, where he would become the star of the show following Ronaldo’s move to Juventus. PSG will no doubt be reluctant to let him go but there could have already been an agreement in place.
Mbappe
It looks like PSG could be losing one of the stars either way, as if Real Madrid do not go in for Neymar, it could be Mbappe that they select to replace Ronaldo. At 19, he could be Real Madrid’s superstar for the next decade at least but he has not quite shown enough evidence that he can step into Ronaldo’s shoes. A swoop for both Neymar and Mbappe would be audacious but this is Real Madrid we are talking about – anything can happen!