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Cristiano Ronaldo has come a long way since his humble beginnings with Sporting Lisbon's B team. Throughout his career, the Portuguese superstar has had the privilege of operating alongside some of the best players of his generation. Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus have all surrounded the talismanic goalscorer with players best-suited to his requirements.
Benzema to Bruno Fernandes: Cristiano Ronaldo's most fruitful partnerships
Wayne Rooney, Karim Benzema, Marcelo, Federico Chiesa, Juan Cuadrado, and most recently Bruno Fernandes are big names who have formed fruitful partnerships with Cristiano Ronaldo over the years.
At present, there are certain players who would hypothetically be a perfect fit with the Portuguese superstar's sharp movement and eye for goal. Here are five players who would complement Cristiano Ronaldo's unique skillset*.
*These are not transfer targets for Manchester United. The list includes names Cristiano Ronaldo has not played with before.
#5 Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
The South Korean international has developed into one of the most deadly forwards in world football since joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2015 for £22 million from Bayer Leverkusen. Capable of operating as a forward or a left-winger, Son's top attributes are his pace, finishing and defensive tracking. More importantly, he has formed a tremendously successful partnership with Harry Kane.
After numerous ankle injuries, Kane isn't the quickest and most mobile of strikers. The England captain, like Cristiano Ronaldo, relies on clever movement, lethal finishing and positional awareness. Combining with CR7 would not be too different from Son's existing tandem with Kane.
The Spurs #7 has 29 assists in his last two seasons. His ability to beat his man, get to the byline and put the ball into the box would perfectly suit Ronaldo's predatory instincts.
#4 Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)
The Raumdeuter, or space invader, is arguably the most intelligent player in the world. It is hard to classify Bayern Munich's 32-year-old German as a midfielder or a striker. Instead, Muller lurks between the lines, occupying pockets of space between the center-forward and the attacking midfielder.
Capable of drifting wide, Muller's assist numbers are simply astonishing. He has 230 career assists for Bayern Munich and led the Bundesliga in assists last season with 21. This year, he already has ten assists in 11 league games.
Muller's freedom of movement and lack of pace means he constantly slips under the radar of opposition defenses. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo commands the constant attention of an entire backline. This could be a match made in heaven, as Muller's slick passing would undoubtedly help Ronaldo grab goals. The Portuguese star, on the other hand, would keep defenders occupied, allowing the German to do what he does best - exploit space.
#3 Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain)
PSG's Italian midfield general continues to go from strength to strength and is coming off an excellent Euro 2020 campaign that saw his side win the tournament against all odds. The 29-year-old Verratti is composed on the ball, capable of picking a pass, industrious in his defensive work and accustomed to winning.
Unlike the other names on this list, it is unlikely that Verratti would directly combine with Cristiano Ronaldo in the final third. What makes the Italian invaluable is his ability to move the ball quickly out wide. Whether it's Neymar, Mbappe and Di Maria at PSG or Insigne, Chiesa and Berardi for Italy, wide players flourish while playing alongside Verratti.
Cristiano Ronaldo thrives on service and good delivery into the box. Although Verratti rarely supplies the final ball himself (58 assists in over 350 PSG appearances), he almost always puts wingers and widemen into the best position to swing one into the box. Crucially, his constant pressing and smart interceptions would also cover for Cristiano Ronaldo's declining workrate.
#2 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Such is the quality of Manchester City's midfield maestro that any player in the world would benefit from playing alongside Kevin De Bruyne. The 30-year-old Belgian is the complete midfielder. Tidy in possession, capable of driving runs with the ball, dangerous while shooting from distance, strong in the tackle, and armed with a devastating delivery from out wide and from set-pieces, KDB has it all.
This one needs no explanation. De Bruyne has 108 assists for Manchester City, of which 41 have come in the last two seasons. The Belgian's numbers are even more impressive when one considers that Manchester City have often played without a genuine No.9 in the last couple of years.
Imagine the damage De Bruyne could do if he had Cristiano Ronaldo, the greatest goalscorer of this era, to aim at in the box. Their pairing almost became a reality earlier this summer when Cristiano Ronaldo was reportedly on the verge of joining Manchester City before his old team intervened at the last moment.
#1 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
The formula for success for Cristiano Ronaldo-led teams is simple. Give the Portuguese superstar high-quality service and he will inevitably score. Well, the quality of delivery doesn't get much better than Liverpool's revolutionary right-back.
The 23-year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold's stunning stats, 50 assists in just over four years since his Premier League debut, still don't do justice to the extraordinary quality of his delivery.
One could argue that none of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah or Roberto Firmino are particularly good in the air. As a result, Alexander-Arnold is limited to curling low crosses in or fizzing balls across the face of goal. Despite the lack of targets with dominant aerial ability in the box, TAA continues to excel in an attacking role for Liverpool.
Since his first-team debut, Alexander-Arnold consistently averages around three key passes and over two successful crosses per game. An accomplished set-piece taker, no defender provides the quality of service that TAA consistently does at high volume. Pairing the Liverpool right-back with Cristiano Ronaldo would be borderline unfair.
After all, the Manchester United man is one of the finest headers of the ball in history. Cristiano Ronaldo's finishing and movement would elevate both players' numbers to new heights.
