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What's the story?
Former Real Madrid star Guti Hernandez has claimed that Real Madrid have missed the presence of their former star and the club's greatest goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo in this campaign.
In case you didn't know..
Ronaldo shocked the world by moving to Juventus last summer after winning his third consecutive Champions League with Los Blancos. Over the nine-season tenure at the Bernabeu, Ronaldo netted 450 goals and won an uncountable number of matches through his extraterrestrial abilities.
The Juventus star is currently recovering from an injury but has enjoyed a solid start to life in Turin. With 19 goals and 8 assists in the Serie A, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is among the top goalscorers and assist providers in the Italian league.
Ronaldo truly portrayed his importance when Juventus hosted Atletico for the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 fixture after the first leg 2-0. Ronaldo netted a hat-trick to singlehandedly take the Bianconeri into the quarter-finals of the continental competition.
Ronaldo's former Real Madrid team-mate Guti came through the club's academy and spent 14 seasons with Los Blancos. Known for his vision and movements, the Spaniard won 15 trophies during his time with Real Madrid.
Guti was working as a manager in the Real Madrid youth system but joined Besiktas to become the Turkish outfit's assistant manager last summer.
The heart of the matter
Guti hailed the importance of Ronaldo in the big games and admitted that Real Madrid have missed the Portuguese talisman this season.
In an interview with Marca, Guti said:
"He has been an important factor, above all for his goalscoring productivity. Especially in big games. Real Madrid have missed Ronaldo."
Real Madrid are enduring a tough situation but Guti explained that he is confident about Los Blancos bouncing back.
"Real Madrid always comes back. You have to touch certain things. I do not know if you have to motivate the players or if they have to give you a bit more competitive squad for the next season, to fight for everything again."
What's next?
Real Madrid, who are currently 13 points behind leaders Barcelona in La Liga, will next face Eibar in a league clash on Saturday.
