Real Madrid without Cristiano Ronaldo: Why Julen Lopetegui will ‘reinvent’ side and not replace 450 goal star

Why there is unlikely to be a 'Galactico'-style signing for the European champions this summer 
Irreplaceable? | Cristiano Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 matches for Real Madrid
AFP/Getty Images
Ben Hayward7 August 2018

A time of transition lies ahead for Real Madrid. Coach Zinedine Zidane left the Spanish side at the end of May after leading the team to three successive Champions League crowns and Cristiano Ronaldo has since departed as well.

The Frenchman has been succeeded by former Spain boss Julen Lopetegui, but with only just over three weeks left in the transfer window in Spain, there is no sign of a Ronaldo replacement.

The prolific Portuguese surprisingly moved to Juventus in July for a fee in excess of €100 million after nine spectacular seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu in which he scored an astonishing 450 goals in 438 matches.

That form helped Madrid to those three Champions League titles - four in the past five seasons overall - and at his unveiling as Madrid coach in June, which followed his Spain sacking just before the World Cup, Lopetegui said: “Cristiano Ronaldo is a player I would always want by my side.”

Ultimately, though, the 51-year-old will have to build his team without the club’s all-time top goalscorer and quite probably with no new forward to replace the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, either.

When Ronaldo left the club last month, Madrid set their sights on Paris Saint-Germain pair Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, although it soon became clear that the French champions were unwilling to negotiate for either and Real took the unusual step of publicly denying an interest in either player.

Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

Chelsea’s attacker Eden Hazard (above) had looked like a more attainable alternative and he hinted that he was keen on a Madrid move after helping Belgium secure third place at the World Cup. However, Real are reluctant to pay over the odds for a player who is neither a prolific scorer, nor their first choice to replace Ronaldo, while they also want to bring in Blues goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and are aware that securing both players will be all but impossible this summer.

Photo: Adam Davy/PA
Adam Davy/PA

They are also keen on Tottenham’s Harry Kane (above), but the England striker is not for sale and remains happy at Spurs, while Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, a long-time target, seems set to stay put and is 30 this month, anyway.

In Pictures | Cristiano Ronaldo

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Even if a Ronaldo replacement is not brought in, the Spanish side still need another centre-forward this summer as back-up to Karim Benzema, but even that is no guarantee at this stage, with Valencia reportedly set to hold out for the full €107m release clause for their Spain striker Rodrigo.

“Reinventing the team without Cristiano is an exciting challenge,” Lopetegui said last week. And he added: “I’m thrilled with the team I have.”

Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Images
Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Images

The Basque coach also backed Gareth Bale (below, with Ronaldo), the hero in last season’s Champions League final win over Liverpool, to help make light of Ronaldo’s exit.

Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the main players in the recent history of Real Madrid," he said. "He expressed a desire to leave and we allowed him to. Gareth Bale is a magnificent player, with so many qualities. He can help fill the void."

Bale scored a fine goal in Real’s 3-1 win over Juventus in the International Champions Cup on Saturday night, with Marco Asensio also on target twice and Vinicius Junior, who signed last year but has only just joined up with Madrid from Flamengo in Brazil after his 18th birthday, also impressing.

Isco (below) is another alternative and many of the midfielder’s best performances came for Lopetegui’s Spain side, while the new Madrid boss also has Lucas Vazquez.

Photo: REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

It is still a tremendous squad, but one which struggled in the first half of La Liga last season when Ronaldo and Benzema were out of sorts in front of goal.

Lopetegui will be charged with improving the team’s tactics and ability to build in midfield and for that, he looks like the ideal coach. But starting the new season without a player to replace Ronaldo's goals still seems like quite a risk for Real Madrid.

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