Real Madrid not over Ronaldo?

Image Courtesy: HypeBeast

The Spanish giants are currently hanging in fifth position in La Liga with 48 points from 26 games – a full 12 points behind leaders and arch rivals Barcelona.

Much of Madrid’s struggles have been attributed to the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo as they have only managed 26 goals in 18 games. To put things into perspective, Lionel Messi has contributed to more goals in the La Liga this season than the entire Real Madrid team combined. This alarming change in attendances for home games – both in league and cup competitions – could tie in with the narrative that the club has been underperforming. But a large reason for that has also been their inability to replace Cristiano Ronaldo’s winning mentality and – more importantly – goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been in blistering form in Serie A ever since quitting Real Madrid for Juventus back in the summer.

There is a famous saying within the fanbase of most football clubs that ‘no player is bigger than the club’. Indeed, players cannot be bigger than clubs, but there can be no denying of the fact that clubs are sometimes dependent on some players. Real Madrid can deny all they want, but for a player who scored 450 goals in nine years, his impact can never be downplayed. The recent struggles of Los Blancos, though, is a testament to the fact that the club is missing the goals that Ronaldo used to provide in plenty.

There are those who believe that Ronaldo is all about the goals but, in truth, he was more than just that in the Real Madrid team. The 33-year-old was a leader and his winning mentality rubbed off all his teammates. In his absence, the team currently lacks that spirit. Real Madrid still boasts a lot of talented players, but without the effectiveness that Ronaldo brought, there is bound to be a regression which was witnessed in the past weeks.

The void remains to be filled.