6 Players Who Could Possibly Replace Cristiano Ronaldo At Real Madrid 

The Shirt Of Juventus New Signing Cristiano Ronaldo Is On Sale At Jstore
The Shirt Of Juventus New Signing Cristiano Ronaldo Is On Sale At Jstore

"Hala Madrid!" Those were Cristiano Ronaldo's last words to the Madridistas. Cristiano and Real Madrid were the perfect couple and enjoyed a fruitful relationship for 9 long years. His goodbye letter to the Madridistas was nothing short of being emotional.

On the 10th of July 2018, Real Madrid released a statement stating that they have agreed on a to sell their star-player Cristiano Ronaldo to Italian giants Juventus for a fee in the region of £99.2m.

Nine-years ago, he arrived at the Santiago Bernebeu for the then transfer-fee record of £80 million. And yesterday, he left the club for a somewhat meager sum of £99.2m.

Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably one of the greatest footballers of all times. From the looks of things,it sure does look like Juventus have yet again found themselves a bargain.

The club that's known for its tact in the transfer market may have just conducted their best piece of business since signing Paul Pogba for free from Manchester United in 2012.

With Cristiano's departure, Real Madrid has a lot of thinking to do. Last season was a somewhat mixed-season. They failed to perform domestically and yet won their 3rd consecutive Champions League title. Their star manager and star player have left. In short, they have some major rebuilding to do in this transfer window.

Thankfully, despite Cristiano's departure, they are still a team that's packed with abundant talent. But Real Madrid needs a Galatico now more than ever.

Cristiano's departure has given the club some money to invest in another player. Not like there's ever any shortage of money at Real Madrid but still, it sure does make making a big-money transfer easier on account of FFP rules.

There's no doubt that the club has loads of talent from within its ranks already. However, if they want to compete at the biggest stages of European club football and outdo their rivals Barcelona domestically, they desperately need to bring in a Galactico this transfer window.

Here are some of the prime candidates who Real Madrid can bring in to fill the massive shoes left behind by Cristiano Ronaldo:

#6 Mohammed Salah (Liverpool)

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Mohammed Salah

Mohammed Salah was a sensation last year. Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, he arguably had the best season in Europe. Had he had a slightly better World Cup and people would be talking about him having a realistic chance of winning the Ballon D'Or this year.

Last year was his breakthrough season in which he racked up a number of individual awards and rewrote the record books to include his name. In his 57 appearances for the club, he scored 48 goals and assisted 14 more. Out of the many awards that he won last year, the most notable ones would be: Premier League Golden Boot 2017-2018 & PFA Player's Player of the Year 2017-2018.

Positionally, he is almost identical to Cristiano Ronaldo. He can play well anywhere in the front-line. Right, left or even center, as the lone attacking force. However, he may not be as dynamic or charismatic as Cristiano was while playing for Real Madrid.

Another problem that Real Madrid may face while signing him would be in relation to his valuation. Only a few weeks ago did he sign a new contract with Liverpool FC. Thus, in order to prise him away from the Merseyside club, Real Madrid would be expected to cough up a sum in excess of £135m.

#5 Paulo Dybala (Juventus)

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Paulo Dybala

Paulo Dybala was one of the most underutilized players in the World Cup this year. The playing time that he got did not justify his talents. He is supposed to be Argentina's next talisman after Messi

With Ronaldo's move to Juventus sealed, there have been some concerns raised with regard to Dybala's future. In fact, there are rumors that Liverpool FC is vying for his signature and are going to tempt Juventus into a sale with an initial £80m offer.

Dybala had a slight injury struck campaign last year. Yet, his numbers were quite impressive. In 26 Serie A appearance, he notched 22 goals and 5 assists.

As a player, he is very much like what young Ronaldo was. His primary strengths include dribbling, finishing, long-shots & of course, free-kicks. Despite being small, he is very good at holding the ball and bringing others around him into the game.

All his attributes make him a prime candidate to succeed Ronaldo at Real Madrid. Being just 24-years old, he even has age on his side. Financially too, the deal would make sense for Real Madrid as they would not have to spend a lot more than what they received for Cristiano Ronaldo.

#4 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

England v Croatia: Semi Final - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia
England v Croatia: Semi Final - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

England captain, Harry Kane has been one name who has constantly been linked to a move to the Los Blancos in the past. If the move materializes, he would be the first English Galactico signing after David Beckham.

In the last three seasons, Harry has won the Premier Golden Boot Award twice. Last year, he narrowly missed out on the honour, finishing second with 30 goals in the Premier League.

His overall goal-tally last season, in all competitions, stood at 44 goals in 51 appearances. He's had an impressive World Cup for England and odds are that he will win the Golden Boot with 6 goals to his name.

Harry's a complete striker. Ice runs in his veins and he's extremely clinical. With Ronaldo's leave, Real Madrid need a man like Harry Kane who is capable of consistently banging in bags of goals.

Just 24-years old, Harry's peak footballing years are still well ahead of him.

Real Madrid need to make Harry feel wanted. Convincing Spurs to sell their main-man is not going to be easy, nor is it going to come cheap. Harry just signed a massive new 6-year deal with the club in January 2018.

His approximate market value is £150 million and maybe, Real Madrid will have to spend a little more to tempt Spurs into selling him.

#3 Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

SOCCER: JUL 10 FIFA World Cup Semifinal - France v Belgium
Eden Hazard

Belgium Captain, Eden Hazard has constantly reiterated his desire to play for Real Madrid. Luckily for him and Real Madrid, this could be a match made in heaven.

For years now, Hazard has been one of the best players in the Premier League. A consistent performer for Chelsea, he played a vital role in both their recent Premier League triumphs.

French legend and now, ex-Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane was his role model while growing up. Surely, he would be disappointed to have missed the opportunity to play at Real Madrid under one of his idols.

Yet, all's not lost. Chelsea had a torrid 2017-2018 season because of which Hazard's future has been drowning in speculation along with the likes of his teammate, Thibaut Courtois. He had a dazzling World Cup captaining his side to the semi-finals, scoring 2 goals and assisting 2 more along their way there.

Aged 27, his peak footballing years are just ahead of him. This is the perfect time for Real Madrid to go after Hazard who will cost them a little more than £100m.

#2 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)

Belgium v France: Semi Final - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia
Kylian Mbappe

There's no doubting that Kylian Mbappe has all the potential to go on and become the best player in the world. No teenager has set the World Cup alight like he has since the great Brazilian, Pele.

Still just 19 years old, he has a lot of football left in him. Last year, he was subject to a big-money move to French giants, Paris Saint Germain which was initially a loan deal. The club was given the option to make the loan deal permanent by paying a fee around the £145m region.

That already makes him one of the most expensive players in the world. In addition to having a stellar World Cup, he had a great season with PSG last year. In 37 appearances, he managed to score 24 times and assisted an additional 11 goals.

If one's to believe the reports coming out of PSG's camp, there's some friction between the two biggest stars of the club: Mbappe and Neymar. For Real Madrid, that's the best possible news, if it's true.

There's no doubt about Mbappe's potential. He is definitely the perfect long-term replacement for Ronaldo. However, his price tag may cause some headaches for Florentino Perez. He is not going to come cheap and will cost the club somewhere around £200m.

#1 Neymar Jr (Paris Saint-Germain)

Brazil v Belgium: Quarter Final - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia
Brazil v Belgium: Quarter Final - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

Most people believe that the first person who, after Ronaldo and Messi, will win the Ballon D'Or is going to be Neymar Jr. And Neymar, too shares this dream.

For a couple of years now, he has been flirting with Real Madrid openly in his interviews. He believes that in order to win the Ballon D'Or, he has to play for Real Madrid sometime in his career.

However, last year, he became the world's most expensive player after signing for Paris Saint Germain for £196m. The financial impact of that move complicates his present situation a little bit.

Much to the credit of Neymar's performances, PSG recaptured their Ligue 1 throne last year. In 28 appearances for the club, he scored 27 goals and assisted 16 more.

Real Madrid President, Florentino Perez adores Neymar and he hasn't been too shy to express his feelings. There's no doubting Neymar's talent. He is perhaps the only player in the world apart from Lionel Messi, who could successfully step into Ronaldo's shoes.

Real Madrid wants Neymar and Neymar, from the looks of things, wants Real Madrid. However, it's highly unlikely that PSG will sell their star player just a year after making him the world's most expensive player.

If Real Madrid really does want him to replace Ronaldo, it looks like they may have to wait for a few years. But maybe, the financial might of the club can do enough to pull him away from Paris and bring him to Madrid.

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Edited by Sripad