3 in-house replacements for Ronaldo at Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid earlier in this summer’s transfer window. The Portugal international signed for Juventus for a fee of €100 million. Ronaldo, 33, is Real Madrid’s all-time top goal scorer and averaged fifty goals every season during his nine years with the reigning European champions.

The Whites were linked with a host of names including Neymar and Eden Hazard to eventually replace Cristiano Ronaldo. However, there has not been any concrete offer made by the club for either of them. Neymar has confirmed his desire to stay in Paris, while Chelsea will demand a huge amount of €200 million for Hazard.

Florentino Perez and Julen Lopetegui will now consider turning to an in-house option with a number of players available at disposal in the current squad. We have a look at three players who can fill in Ronaldo’s void.

#3 Isco

Isco's time to shine

Isco is the first name on Lopetegui’s mind to replace Cristiano’s gap. He can play a fantastic role in a 4-4-2 diamond formation by being at the head of a four man midfield. During his tenure as Spain coach, Lopetegui got the best out of Isco in almost every match.

One of his most memorable performances in a World Cup qualifying match against Italy came under Lopetegui’s management. Playing the former Malaga man in the attacking midfielder’s role could bring prosperity to Real Madrid.

The 26-year-old was an asset to Madrid’s attacking department in 2017/18. He scored 9 goals and assisted 10.

#2 Marco Asensio

Asensio is already a star

Marco Asensio is the second option that stands out in the selection of Ronaldo’s replacement. The 22-year-old is one of the biggest prospects in world football. He scored over 20 goals in his first two seasons at the club in spite of being a fringe player.

Asensio once again displayed his exploits for the Whites by scoring a brace in their 3-1 win against Juventus. Asensio has also been on target against few of the world’s top clubs like Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus amongst others.

While he may not score 50 goals every season, a target of 35 goals as a starting line-up player could be fantastic.

#1 Vinicius Jr.

Vinicius Jr. can be a very a tricky customer

Real Madrid added a South American asset to their squad. They managed to nab the services of Vinicius Jr. from Brazilian outfit Flamengo. Having now turned 18, he has joined Real Madrid’s first team this summer.

He has been taken to the United States for pre-season and has been nothing less than sensational for Lopetegui’s side. He delivered mesmerising performances against Manchester United and Juventus, even delivering an assist against the latter.

While he has been linked with loan moves to Rayo Vallecano and Getafe, there could be other ideas in the minds of Real Madrid’s coaching staff.