Why Madrid needs to stop worrying about the future of Ronaldo's throne

J Omkar
Real Madrid Celebrate After Victory In The Champions League Final Against Liverpool
Real Madrid Celebrate After Victory In The Champions League Final Against Liverpool

"There once was a player in our team who scored 50 goals every season", this might be Madrid fans telling stories to their grandkids about arguably the greatest player on the planet, Cristiano Ronaldo. He might be the greatest man to wear the number 7 for the Spanish Giants.

Be it his speed, his dribbling, his strength in the air or his shooting, both with his strong as well as weak foot, Ronaldo has established himself as a modern-day goal machine. Scoring a staggering 450 goals while in Real Madrid, he won 15 trophies with the team, including 2 La Liga titles, 4 Champions League titles, 2 Copa, 2 UEFA Super Cups, and 3 Club World Cups and 2 Supercopas.

Madrid's all-time top goalscorer, he scored a record 34 La Liga hat-tricks and the only player to score more than 30 goals in six consecutive league seasons. He became the first player in the history to win the Champions League Trophy 5 times. Numbers sure say a lot. A shocking move to Juventus, with a record fee of €100 million which is the highest paid by any Italian club in history, he surely has a lot left even at this age.

Having a pool of talent, let us see why Los Blancos doesn't need to worry about filling the void with a new signing.

Francisco Roman Alarcon Suarez

Don't get confused by the big name, he is commonly known as Isco. He has been a pivotal part of Los Blancos since his arrival from Malaga in 2013 and has played in different positions under different managers. He can play as an attacking midfielder, and also as a winger.

Known for his beautiful touch, he has the ability to pick perfect passes to his teammates, while also dribble past 3 or 4 challenges without losing the ball. Very effective inside the box, he can score goals from close ranges as well as from long distance shooting.

He is one step ahead in reading the game and has a fine sense of getting into free spaces, which made him a free-roaming player under Zinedine Zidane. A fine free-kick taker, he can become the player who can fill the void left by the great Portuguese.

Athletic Club v Real Madrid - La Liga
Athletic Club v Real Madrid - La Liga

Marco Asensio

This 22-year old has shown a lot of character in the past. With his one-touch finishes, swerving free-kicks and killer passes, he has established himself as a great prospect for Los Blancos.

Some amazing long-range goals, including a 25-meter effort against Sevilla in UEFA Super Cup and the stunning goal that came inside two minutes against rivals FC Barcelona, which was also a 25-meter stunner, Asensio has established him as one of the finest long-range shooters of the game. He'll be the one to watch this season, without the Portuguese in the show, he can shine.

Girona v Real Madrid - La Liga
Marco Asensio

Gareth Bale

The Welsh phenomenon has the ability to dominate the flanks with curling crosses into the box. He has shown repeatedly why Madrid has spent a huge amount of money to bring the Welshman into the team.

His extraordinary pace, clubbed with his ability to dribble past opponents and a fabulous touch has earned him a first team place in the past. With Ronaldo gone, he has a considerable amount of chance to shine. With the new manager Lopetegui thinking of building a team around him, he can become a top goalscorer for Los Blancos.

Real Madrid v Liverpool - UEFA Champions League Final
Gareth Bale

What will we miss?

Real Madrid v Barcelona - La Liga
Ronaldo and Messi

With Ronaldo out of the picture, we will miss the matchup between two of the greatest players of this era - Ronaldo vs Messi. The El Classico will not be as anticipated as one of the game's heavyweight will not be present. The matches will be entertaining, but will not be as fierce as when Ronaldo and Messi were on the same pitch.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram