5 potential after-effects of a bad Real Madrid season

#2 The end of the Cristiano Ronaldo era

Could a bad season signal the end of the Ronaldo era at the Bernabeu?

Since signing with them in the summer of 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo has become one of Real Madrid’s all-time legends. Real broke the world transfer record to bring him to the Bernabeu and he’s paid that fee back in multiples, scoring a crazy amount of goals – he’s averaged over 50 per season – and helping them to win two La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues. At Madrid, he’s established himself as the best player in the world. But if this season becomes a failure, can the Ronaldo era at Madrid really continue?

Father time waits for no man and Ronaldo turns 33 in February, and so by anyone’s standards his time left at the top of the game is probably limited. Nobody is suggesting he’s past his prime just yet but he’s clearly lost some of the explosive pace he had when he was younger, and his haul of 42 goals last season – still impressive – was the least he’d scored since his debut season in Spain. The problem for Real may come in actually finding a way to ease him out.

While he’s at the club, simply put, Ronaldo will always be the focal point. Look at the furore caused when Gareth Bale signed for Real, with the media focusing purely on whether he could co-exist with the Portuguese star.

Even if his powers genuinely begin to wane it’s hard to see him at the Bernabeu playing second fiddle to anyone. A bad season this time, and Real could decide to jump off the Ronaldo train, cash in on him – perhaps looking to Manchester United for the sale – and look to bring in a new megastar to replace their ageing legend.