Post-Ronaldo Real Madrid: Can they compete?

Julen Lopetegui, manager of Real Madrid instructs his team during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Getafe CF at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on August 19, 2018 in Madrid, Spain.

(Aug. 18, 2018 - Source: Denis Doyle/Getty Images Europe) 

The 2018/19 season commenced less than a month ago and the departure of Real Madrid’s greatest ever goalscorer made the headlines. Not many expected the player to leave the club that he claims to love, but who could blame him if he was not feeling wanted anymore. The Portuguese star averaged at least 40 goals per season since 2009 when he moved to the club from Manchester United and has been the focal point of the club’s successes in the past decade. He picked up 5 Ballon D’Or (World’s Best Soccer Player) Awards in his career to date which is the same as fellow GOAT, Lionel Messi of Barcelona. Tinotenda Magiya writes how Real Madrid plans to cope with the loss of their greatest asset.

Gareth Bale seems to be the answer to many questions. The Welsh forward was brought to Madrid in a world record transfer from Tottenham Hotspur back in 2013. It is only when he arrived that the club managed to win the UEFA Champions League after 9 failed attempts. Bale was brought with the expectation to rival Ronaldo for the best player within the camp and ensure that healthy competition translated to trophies. It is fair to say that the Galactico signing has not quite lived up to those expectations as he suffered many injuries throughout his time in Spain. Instead of scoring those huge number of goals, Bale was turned into a provider for the Portuguese No.7 because the team was built around him. His goal scoring contribution was a bit limited which saw his pedigree fall from being one of the best players in the world to being an impact substitute under Zinedine Zidane’s tenure. Ronaldo’s departure means that the player is granted the freedom he always desired, and he has since scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist in just 3 appearances so far this term. If the Spanish giants put their faith in the Welsh wizard, they will surely get the best out of the player who has that fear factor that can only be found in the best attackers in world football.  

Benzema is another player whose style of play suffered for the good of Ronaldo. The striker also focused more on assisting Ronaldo than doing his primary job which is to put the ball into the net. Opta Stats reported in April that he assisted Ronaldo’s 23 goals in La Liga, more than any other player. No wonder Ronaldo did not object to Higuain’s departure because Benzema was unselfish and was always ready to feed him the ball in dangerous positions and allow him to shine. Now that Ronaldo is gone, the French striker is also looking like a more effective player ready to compete for the Golden Boot (highest goal scorer) award. He looks potent in front of goal and does not think twice when the ball falls at his feet. He has scored 4 goals already in La Liga and another in the UEFA Super Cup to make it 5 goals in 4 appearances. Real Madrid will need these goals if they are to compete against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for the domestic titles as well as to defend their European crown. There is more to come from the 30-year-old, and his style of play has been restored to default settings.

“They managed to achieve this over many generations even when they lost players like Di Stefano, the Brazilian Ronaldo, Raul, Casillas, and now Cristiano Ronaldo. They seem to always find a way to exist and dominate. They have, and always will. Be sure to hold your heart in your hands when your team is matched against Real Madrid”

— Tinotenda Magiya, FirstTouch Africa

Karim Benzema #9 of Real Madrid celebrates with Gareth Bale #11 after scoring a goal during the first half of the International Champions Cup match against Manchester United at Hard Rock Stadium on July 31, 2018 in Miami, Florida.

(July 31, 2018 - Source: Rob Foldy/Getty Images North America)

Real Madrid head coach, Lopetegui, is certain that his youthful talent will play an integral part in their quest for success during his tenure. He has since deposed the young Vinicius Jnr on the left of an attacking three for the La Liga opener before playing Marco Asensio and Isco Alarcon in the other two matches. The club has maintained a perfect record since the start of the competition and does not look like they miss Ronaldo. It is not the first time that the young players have delivered for Real Madrid. Even during Zidane’s time, Asensio shined against Barcelona in 2017 when they beat the Catalonians by 2 goals to nothing in the Spanish Super Cup. Gerard Pique of Barcelona was quoted as having said, “I feel inferior to Real Madrid for the first time,” and Ronaldo was not on the pitch on this night. There were signs that the club could live without the aging striker and the new coach has gone with that strategy. Dani Ceballos has also been used in midfield in place of the UEFA Best Player of the Year, Luka Modric who is turning 33 years in a few days. On other parts of the pitch, the club also acquired Mariano Diaz to provide competition for Benzema up front and Odriozola to compete with Dani Carvajal at right back. The club’s latest recruitment strategy could prove to be a masterstroke if they go on to win the La Liga trophy this season.

Besides, Courtois signature fits into the plan of making a competitive team post the Ronaldo era at Real Madrid. The club finished third behind Atletico Madrid and Barcelona conceding 44 goals in the process. This was twice as many goals that Atletico conceded and the club sought the expertise of the Belgian goalkeeper to prevent conceding so many goals. If the above-mentioned players maintain their current form and Courtois shields the goal-line like he knows how to, Real Madrid will definitely be a force to reckon this season and beyond.

In essence, Real Madrid does not look doomed now that they have lost a player who is arguably the greatest of all time. The status of the club does not allow it. Real Madrid has existed since 1902 and is the most decorated club in European soccer with 13 UEFA Champions League trophies. They managed to achieve this over many generations even when they lost players like Di Stefano, the Brazilian Ronaldo, Raul, Casillas, and now Cristiano Ronaldo. They seem to always find a way to exist and dominate. They have, and always will. Be sure to hold your heart in your hands when your team is matched against Real Madrid because they will have enough to deal with anyone they face.

Gareth Bale of Real Madrid celebrates with Marco Asensio after scoring his teams second goal during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Getafe CF at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on August 19, 2018 in Madrid, Spain.

(Aug. 18, 2018 - Source: Denis Doyle/Getty Images Europe) 

In the midst of the Pogba treatment, Kaka shares his opinion on Mourinho

The Manchester United is not popular for building lasting relationships with most of the players that he has managed in different clubs so far. The latest to be believed to not be on good books with Jose Mourinho is Manchester United’s most expensive player in Paul Labile Pogba. The midfielder has had an inconsistent season, and rumours are quoting that the player feels he is not playing in his best position. Many players have come out to talk about the Portuguese and Pogba probably cannot follow suit as he is still under the boss. Maybe we could hear a lot about his situation sometime later in the future when the boss moves on to another club. The Real Madrid captain, Sergio Ramos shared no sentiment with Jose and claimed that he was just another coach for Real Madrid who cannot be compared to Ancelotti because of his man-management skills. The latest to have a say about the Portuguese is the former Balon d’Or winner, Ricardo Kaka from Brazil. The player joined Madrid the same year that Cristiano Ronaldo made his move to the Bernabeu, but he did not enjoy the best of times with the Los Blancos when Mourinho was in charge.

He said, “Jose Mourinho was a difficult coach for me, and we had a respectful but complicated relationship. I trained, I fought, and I prayed a lot, but having not received the confidence of the coach, I realised that I could not work with him.”

Mourinho is very famous for ousting players in his team as he got rid of Casillas at Madrid, Lampard in his second stint at Chelsea, Schweinsteiger at United among others. Kaka was so unfortunate to be a part of that list as he eventually left Madrid for greener pastures. The Brazilian has since retired in 2017 and hopes that the coach can learn a couple of things that can make him better at producing results on the pitch. Do you think that Mourinho will eventually learn his lesson and treat his players with much more respect and care?  

Ramos sneaks up on record cap holder Casillas

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has been a joy to watch for the Spanish national side in over a decade now. He started out as a right-back but has since converted into one of the greatest centre-backs the national side have ever seen. This means that the player has been called up more often to wear the Spanish colors and he is about to become the highest caps holder for the country. The record is currently sitting with former club mate Iker Casillas who appeared in the Spanish colors on 167 occasions. Ramos currently lies at 150 and believes that the goalkeeper is shaking because he is edging close since he is still an integral part of the national team. Ramos has admitted that the feat could be tough to reach and he is just proud of what he has already achieved so far. He is hopeful of claiming the record with time. Do you think he deserves the record? Drop your thoughts in the comment section.