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Just how influential is Cristiano Ronaldo? Well, let me give you an idea. 2009 saw a lot of major world events take place. The United States’ first ever African-American President took the oath of office. The Great Recession was just making its devastating presence felt. The swine flu gained the status of a global pandemic. Manmohan Singh was re-elected as Prime Minister of India. James Cameron’s Avatar was released to critical acclaim. Michael Jackson was found dead a month before his 51st birthday at his LA mansion and Apple had just released another revolutionary new phone.
However, the biggest, by far the biggest, waves were made by a 24-year-old youngster who, after winning all there was to win at Manchester United – this includes 3 Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cups, 1 Champions League, and the first of 5 Ballon d’Or titles - transferred to Spanish club Real Madrid for a world record fee of £80 million. That youngster, of course, is none other than Cristiano Ronaldo.
In hindsight, that £80 million proved to be a bargain, considering Cristiano Ronaldo won 2 La Liga titles, an astonishing four Champions League titles, 2 Spanish Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups. He also amassed a plethora of individual awards and personal records, which are just too many to list out. However, despite Ronaldo’s skills as one of the most dependable match winners ever, football – at the end of the day – is a collective sport, and to thrive a club doesn’t just need one player but an entire 11-person team.
Part of the reason why Cristiano Ronaldo thrived at Los Blancos was due to him being supported by some excellent teammates. With that in mind, let’s take a look at:
5 of Cristiano Ronaldo’s best teammates at Real Madrid:
#5 Xabi Alonso
Undoubtedly one of the most gifted but underrated midfielders of his generation, Alonso will rightly go down as one of Spain’s and Real Madrid's greatest ever pass masters. While Cristiano Ronaldo might not have linked with Alonso for many goals, the Spaniard was instrumental in keeping things ticking at the center of the park, which enabled the magic to happen up front.
Such was his influence in Los Blancos’ midfield that Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson deployed Danny Welbeck in a spoiler role to keep the Spaniard in check during the Champions League Round of 16 match back in 2013. Welbeck performed his role brilliantly, but a red card for Nani saw him shift positions, freeing up the Spaniard, who then went on to dictate play and help Real Madrid win the match.
Alonso and Cristiano Ronaldo won 5 trophies at Real Madrid in the form of 1 La Liga, 1 Champions League and 2 Copa del Reys and 1 Spanish Super Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo truly benefitted from this dynamic midfield maestro.
#4 Sergio Ramos
One of Real Madrid’s longest serving players, Los Blancos’ defensive titan has been ever-present in holding down the fort at the back while Cristiano Ronaldo took care of things up front.
Ramos, who has been with Real Madrid since 2005 (a lifetime in footballing terms), has combined with Ronaldo for 16 goals – which is a massive contribution for a center back. Together with Cristiano Ronaldo, Ramos won a total of 18 trophies, including 2 La Liga titles, 4 Champions League titles, 2 Copa del Rays and 4 Club World Cups.
Now Ramos is a player fans love to hate due to his aggressive playing style (Liverpool fans have no love lost for the defender after his awful challenge on Mohamed Salah in the 2018 Champions League final, which forced the Egyptian off with a dislocated shoulder) and his horrendous disciplinary record of 191 league cards (including 20 reds, making him the La Liga’s most sent off player) and 40 Champions League yellows and 4 reds, making him the competition’s most carded player and joint-most red carded player.
However, his talent and knack for goals – cultivated during his time as a right back – is there for all to see, earning him a place as one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s best teammates at Real Madrid.
#3 Gareth Bale
Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale were 2 galacticos who combined very well. The very mention of Bale – who won 2 La Ligas, 4 Champions Leagues and 3 Club World Cups among other titles with Los Blancos - is enough to get Madristas seething, not least because of that infamous banner, but the fact remains that he and Cristiano Ronaldo made for a dynamic duo.
The Welshman, who joined Madrid from Tottenham for a then-world-record fee of £85.1 million back in 2013, combined with Ronaldo to produce 41 goals despite playing just 157 matches with the Portuguese.
Now, Bale has come under heavy criticism from the Madrid faithful for his lack of commitment (his rumoured nickname amongst his Real Madrid teammates was The Golfer due to his well-publicised love for the sport, with Marcelo even gifting him a club during the team’s Secret Santa), his perceived lethargic attempts to master the Spanish language and his time on the injury table, but no one can argue that Bale has been a major contributor to Real Madrid’s recent successes.
The Welshman scored in two major Champions League finals, including a crucial goal which helped seal Real Madrid’s fabled La Decima in the 2014 final against arch-rivals Atletico and a phenomenal brace, which included a stunning bicycle kick, against Liverpool in the 2018 final. Love him or hate him, one simply can’t ignore Bale’s role in helping Cristiano Ronaldo win major titles.
#2 Mesut Özil
That Cristiano Ronaldo loved playing with ‘Assist King’ Özil and was absolutely gutted when the German left for Arsenal is no secret. Özil, who joined Real Madrid from Werder Bremen in 2010 on the back of a brilliant World Cup performance, linked up excellently with Ronaldo, with the pair producing a stunning 41 goals in 149 matches.
Such was his impact that Özil was Europe’s top assist leader in his debut season. Despite helping Cristiano Ronaldo and Madrid win three crucial trophies, including a double under Jose Mourinho in 2012, while remaining the undisputed assist leader in the La Liga for a third consecutive season, Özil was inexplicably sold to Arsenal for around £42.5 million, making him the most expensive German player ever at the time.
Several Real Madrid players were outraged by the transfer, not least Cristiano Ronaldo, who was quoted by Spanish tabloid AS as saying "He was the player who best knew my moves in front of goal...I'm angry about Özil leaving". While Özil – now at Fenerbahçe – never quite recaptured his Real Madrid form in the Premier League despite patches of sheer brilliance, one could only imagine what greater heights Cristiano Ronaldo and Özil could have scaled had the German stayed in the Spanish capital.
#1 Karim Benzema
That the Frenchman leads this list is absolutely no surprise. Cristiano Ronaldo owes a lot to Benzema, who made innumerable sacrifices – including selflessly assisting Ronaldo with goals and even willingly playing out of position to accommodate his Portuguese teammate.
The pair combined to produce a stunning 76 goals, making Benzema Cristiano Ronaldo’s top scoring partner. Together, the pair won 15 trophies, including 2 league titles, 4 Champions League titles and 2 Spanish Super Cups, among others.
Personal plaudits for Benzema also followed, including 3 French Player of the Year honors, a UEFA Champions League top assist provider recognition, and a La Liga Team of the Season award among others, which aren’t nearly enough for a man who will undoubtedly go down as one of Real Madrid’s best ever, but most underrated players.
It’s been a rocky road for Benzema – who has often been on the receiving end of criticism from fans and pundits alike - at Madrid and France, the latter of whom he hasn’t played for since 2015 after being named in a blackmail scandal which implicated several French players. But the Frenchman has always taken it in his stride.
After Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure in 2018, Benzema successfully emerged from his shadow and went on to brilliantly spearhead Real Madrid’s 2020 title winning campaign. All in all, it can be safely said that without Benzema, who is in the midst of a well-deserved renaissance, Cristiano Ronaldo would have never scored a ridiculous 450 goals for Real Madrid.
