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What's the story?
Real Madrid full-back Marcelo has admitted the obvious when he said that the Spanish giants miss Portuguese ace Cristiano Ronaldo, who left for Serie A side Juventus this summer.
In case you didn't know...
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner ended his nine-year association with the Los Blancos side this summer, making a shocking transfer to Italian giants Juventus.
Ronaldo's departure has since had polarising effects on the two teams: while Juventus were thriving, Real was having their worst start to a season.
A humiliating defeat to rivals Barcelona was the last straw for the administration, who sacked then-boss Julen Lopetegui and replaced him with Santiago Solari.
Under Solari, the Los Blancos performances are pendulous but their lack of spirit is still undeniable.
The heart of the matter
Ronaldo's former teammate Marcelo has now admitted that it was clear Real Madrid missed their all-time top-scorer but insists that the European Champions are a brand of their own.
Speaking to Club del Deportista (via Marca), "Cristiano is my former teammate and also my friend."
"It's clear that if the best player in the world is not in your team, you will miss him. Any team would like to have Cristiano, but in the end, Madrid will always be Madrid, and will have the best in all positions."
The defender also admitted that the club may have taken winning for granted in the last few years: "It seems normal to win four Champions Leagues in five years, and it isn't. There are very big teams that only have one, two, or even none. We forget how hard it is to win."
He continued, talking about the key to Madrid's Champions League dominance the last few seasons:
"We created a very strong team, and having been together for so long has been one of the keys to winning what we have. It doesn't make it easier to win a Champions League, but it is less difficult."
Upon being asked of the next immediate goal, Marcelo said the focus is on the Club World Cup.
What's next?
The Serie A table-toppers are scheduled to face Torino in a much-awaited game on Sunday.
