Real Madrid can be optimistic in the post-Ronaldo era

Cristiano Ronaldo has left Real Madrid for Juventus. The move leaves Real in a state of uncertainty, but there are reasons for optimism.

The day Real Madrid fans have been dreading has finally arrived. Cristiano Ronaldo has left the Spanish capital after nine glittering years. Ronaldo will join Juventus for £100 million, and will look to end their long Champions League drought.

It’s been a long, messy saga, stretching all the way back to Real Madrid’s Champions League win in Kiev at the end of May, and it leaves the club’s long-term vision in an even thicker haze after they allowed Zinedine Zidane to depart the Bernabeu after a successful three-year stint.

Though it was surprising to see it happen so soon, Ronaldo’s exit wasn’t a total shock. Few players retire at Real Madrid as a starter, and anyone who has watched Ronaldo long enough will know he isn’t the type of character to take a backseat, even as he enters the autumn of his career.

There’s no way Real Madrid will walk away from this deal feeling like they’re better for it. Ronaldo has proven in the last two years that age is just a number to him, playing an instrumental role in Los Blancos‘ three consecutive Champions League titles. There’s no knowing how long the Portuguese forward will be able to continue to perform at the highest level, and that should prove a terrifying prospect for Madridistas worldwide.

However, that’s not to say the club are in a completely hopeless position without their star man. It’s vital Real Madrid respond to Ronaldo’s departure as soon as possible to set a course for the post-Ronaldo era. Florentino Perez loves to splash the cash in a World Cup year, so expect to see one of the tournament’s big stars make a move to Bernabeu soon after the tournament has concluded.

Though he didn’t truly impress at the World Cup, Neymar has had admirers at Real for a long time, and club still regret missing out on him when he move to Barcelona. They’ll likely make a move for Neymar, who has reportedly been unsettled at PSG.

Eden Hazard is another potential replacement, having made a statement this summer about his admiration for Zidane and Real Madrid. The issue with Hazard will likely be his age; the Belgian is 27 and doesn’t fit Madrid’s recent transfer model of buying talented young stars. Kylian Mbappe, on the other hand, seems to tick all the boxes for Madrid and is the fan favorite to replace Ronaldo. His transfer deal to PSG is also in doubt, with the French side’s Financial Fair play case reopened by UEFA earlier this week.

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There are plenty of other things for Real Madrid fans to be excited about besides transfers. They’ve hired Julen Lopetegui, a man with a fantastic track record of getting the best out of young stars and Spanish internationals, which now make up the majority of Real Madrid’s dressing room. There’s plenty of talent at the Bernabeu that can blossom now that Ronaldo is no longer the centerpiece of the team.

The main concern in the short-term is how to replace Ronaldo’s goals in 2018-19. No one’s likely to reach the figures Ronaldo posted on a yearly basis and though they have plenty of money to spend, that doesn’t guarantee the club will get who they want.

There are two obvious routes to take. One is buying a short-term option like Robert Lewandwoski, whose record at bayern Munich suggests he should be able to make a good portion of Ronaldo’s goals. The other is to trust Lopetegui to work his offensive magic, as he did with Spain, and build a team that isn’t reliant on any one attacking star. La Roja scored 36 goals during the World Cup qualifiers, 18 of which came from midfielders, with Isco joint top scorer with five.

Real Madrid must understand that no one lets a player like Cristiano Ronaldo go and feels like they got the better half of the deal. Ronaldo is an all-time great and probably the greatest player ever to play for Real Madrid. However, Real are spoiled for choice in terms of options to fill the void Ronaldo leaves in the team. Cool heads and good planning is going to be needed, but the European champions can pull through this challenge for silverware next season, even without their star man.