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Everybody knows that Real Madrid have never truly replaced Cristiano Ronaldo at the club. Benzema might have stepped up with his goalscoring frenzy in recent times but, the Frenchman's goal alone is undoubtedly not enough for the weakened Los Blancos to win silverware.
The Spanish side are now set to endure a trophyless season after they won 3 consecutive Champions League titles in the previous seasons. Mariano Diaz has been a total failure and becomes a laughing stock after the Spanish striker inherited Ronaldo's number 7 at the club.
The 25-year-old has managed to start just once and played less than 400 minutes for Real Madrid throughout the season. The former Lyon striker is surely a number 7 to forget as the Los Blancos reportedly would dig deep at the next transfer window in search for more reputable attackers.
Many Real Madrid targets have what it takes to inherit Ronaldo's former number 7 jersey and deserve the number a lot more than Mariano. Now we will take a look at the 4 candidates.
Neymar
Neymar could still be considered as the best winger in the world although injuries have recently plagued his PSG career. He made a name for himself at Santos and saw his career soaring high at Barcelona. PSG paid a world-record €222 million fee for him and, he seems to be worth every penny as he has made a considerable impact for the French club.
The fancy Brazilian attacker has scored 32 league goals from 33 appearances over 2 Ligue 1 seasons. He was equally good at the Champions League and scored 10 at the competitions for PSG in the last 2 seasons. The public could tell of Neymar's capabilities to become the next Cristiano Ronaldo by looking at the Brazilian's goalscoring record alone.
He would be perfect for the Blancos to fill their number 7 shirt which has lost its magic. He would cost Madrid an eye-watering amount for sure but, PSG might no longer consider him as an indispensable due to Mbappe's surging display. Hence, Perez has an open chance to secure his dream star.
Kylian Mbappe
The French starlet has won a lot at just 20 years old including a World Cup. Mbappe is surely the most likely star who could end Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's domination at the Ballon d'Or in the future. He has been scoring for fun at the Ligue 1 this season and, it could be about time until the starlet wants to look for a bigger challenge abroad.
He has all the characteristics to emulate Ronaldo's presence at the Bernabeu and would happily inherit the Portuguese's former number 7 shirt at Real Madrid. He is a rare breed of talent who already has proven enough at the Champions League despite just 20 years old.
He has the potential to be Madrid's greatest ever number 7 who could play at least 10 years at the highest level for the Blancos. Both Zidane and Florentino Perez have expressed their keen interest for the PSG megastar. However, PSG would surely play hardball over Mbappe and could put a staggering price-tag which is out of Madrid's reach.
Eden Hazard
The Belgian wizard could be the most likely player to inherits Ronaldo's former number 7 shirt at Real Madrid next season. The player himself has openly stated numerous times that he dreams of joining the Los Blancos.
Hazard has been Chelsea's best player for years and, his presence for the Blues has been similar to Messi for Barcelona. The London outfit has relied a lot on the 28-year-old to score goals due to the club's difficulties on finding a reliable striker.
Many Chelsea faithful even have resigned on losing the megastar due to the majority of Chelsea players have let him down this season. His contract at the Stamford Bridge still stalls. Hence, Madrid would have the upper hand over Hazard's price. However, Chelsea's FIFA transfer ban threat could be Madrid's main hindrance for the transfer.
Paulo Dybala
The Argentinian superstar has endured a miserable season at Juventus since Ronaldo's arrival. He has lost his starring role at the club and has even transformed into a mere second fiddle.
He was visibly pissed off with Massimiliano Allegri's decisions at several occasions and could jump ship if the golden chance comes. His productivity might have significantly dipped recently but, he would be a considerable bargain for the Spanish outfit if the Los Blancos are willing to give him more trust and playing times.
His reputation as one of Europe's best attackers is still there as he has listed as the most valuable player in Serie A by CIES recently. An agile and lethal player with boundless vision, Dybala could form a deadly partnership with Karim Benzema.
Even if he could not score on his own, his playmaking ability would benefit Benzema a lot. He would be suitable for Madrid's number 7. Dybala's departure from Juventus seems imminent. Hence, It would mostly depend on Madrid's decision whether to take Dybala to Bernabeu.
