With rumours over #Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Real Madrid increasing with every passing day, including a staggering offer from his former club Manchester United, the talk will soon switch to who will replace Los Blancos record goalscorer and arguably their greatest ever player.
Old Trafford outfit United have been linked with a £183 million plus David de Gea move Ronaldo and his current team-mate Alvaro Morata, as per The Sun, while Real defender Pepe has urged the Portugal international to join Paris Saint-Germain, according to the Mirror.
Ronaldo has become one of the best players to grace the game since moving to Spain, having won three Champions League titles in the last four years, as well as scoring over 400 goals for Real, a club-record.
Should CR7, as he is often called, leave the Santiago Bernabeu, it will leave a big hole in the Spanish giants’ squad, so here are five players that could fill the void…
Marco Asensio
Beginning with Real Madrid’s new superstar, Asensio had been hailed as a future talent for years in the club’s youth system, and he lived up to the hype in his breakout season last year. Despite only starting 11 times in 23 league appearances, his performances showed just why he is so highly thought of at Real.
The 21-year-old was a constant thorn in defenders’ sides and while he only scored four times during the entire campaign, his final goal came in the Champions League final against Juventus. He has continued to impress since, netting a hat-trick in the Spain Under-21’s opening fixture of the European Championships.
Although he has not got the goalscoring record to live up to Ronaldo’s extraordinary standards, the young attacker is continuing to grow with each game and will become a star at Los Blancos in the coming years.
Paulo Dybala
If Real Madrid are looking to spend the money they make from selling off Ronaldo, they will want to look no further than Argentine forward Dybala.
Joining from Palermo in 2015, the Juventus star has gone from strength to strength at the Italian champions, including scoring 30 league goals in two seasons. The 23-year-old has been praised for his incredible dribbling, quick feet and ability to score a wide range of goals.
While he would be a brilliant acquisition, the downside would be luring Dybala away from the clutches of Juventus, who continue to dominate Italy and reached the final in the recent Champions League fixture against Real Madrid.
Robert Lewandowski
If it is goals you want, then look no further than Polish striker Lewandowski. The Bayern Munich man has netted 30 league goals in each of his last two seasons at the German giants, while scoring over 200 times in six years in all competitions.
Impressive statistics for someone who rarely gets a look-in for the Ballon d’Or award, finishing an astonishing 16th in last season’s vote. Lewandowski is deadly in front of goal and is considered one of the out-and-out strikers in the game.
Yet, while he brings goals in abundance, he is also 28. For someone who would demand a princely sum, Lewandowski only has, theoretically, a few more years at the top of his game. It would be a short-term fix, rather than a long-term succession plan.
Kylian Mbappe
From lethal, but aging striker to the potential world-class, but risky option. Mbappe stunned defenders and Football experts alike with his exploits for Monaco last season, as they won Ligue 1 title, the first time someone other than PSG has done so since 2012.
They also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, beating the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur along the way. It was not the fact that he scored 26 goals in all competitions that is impressive, but because he only turned 18 five days before Christmas.
Mbappe troubles defenders with his directness and pace, while he is cool in front of goal, with his performances, nationality and career so far seeing him hailed as the ‘new Thierry Henry’.
While his age means he could play for Real Madrid for the next 14 years, he already has a price tag of over 100 million euros, and although he is seen as a future world-beater, Mbappe has only had one good season with Los Blancos running the risk of it being a fluke, should that sign him.
Gareth Bale
Last, but not least is a player that has been touted as Ronaldo’s successor ever since his days at Tottenham. Bale joined Real Madrid for a then-world record fee of £85.3 million in 2013, scoring 54 league goals since.
He suffered a bad season last year, finishing with just nine goals in all competitions, not a record that would be seen as an automatic replacement for Ronaldo, but has been severely hampered by injuries, particularly to calf and ankle.
Yet, Bale is still just 27, with his best years still to come, and should Ronaldo leave, he would be out of his shadow and allowed to play in his preferred position on the left more frequently. He is always on hand to produce magic moments, such as out-pacing Marc Bartra to score the winner in the Copa del Rey final in 2014.
Rather than buying someone who would need to blend with a well-oiled unit at Real Madrid, they could stick with a player who is enjoying life in Spain and still has plenty to offer them.
