Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly admitted that he does not wish to renew his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Portuguese icon, widely regarded as one of the best players football has ever seen, moved to Madrid back in 2009. Real Madrid forked out a fortune back then to lure him away from Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United by making him the most expensive player in the world.
He has since gone on to win the best player of the year on five occasions and has become the club’s all-time leading goal scorer in the process. His eight-year stay at Madrid has seen him become an icon at the Bernabeu and Ronaldo’s goal-scoring exploits have helped Real Madrid win every possible trophy available in club competition.
Ronaldo, who turned 32 this year is slowly entering the final phase of his career and has confirmed that he is not seeking a new contract. It means that Real Madrid will need to scout for possible replacements for the iconic Portuguese forward.
Here is a look at the possible players Real Madrid can chase to replace Ronaldo.
Eden Hazard
The Chelsea winger is magical on his night and can dribble past any number of opposition whenever he fancies. He has long been linked with a move to the Spanish capital and the Belgian is known to be a huge admirer of the current Real Madrid boss Zidane.
The reports have only intensified as Zidane has praised Hazard on multiple occasions as well. Hazard has the “Galactico” status to his game and being a left-winger, he is an ideal replacement for Ronaldo.
Neymar
The Brazilian superstar has evolved into one of the best players in European football. His status and value were quantified when Paris Saint Germain came knocking for him with a jaw-dropping $263 million bid.
The Brazil winger is now scoring regularly for his new side as he wishes to emulate the likes of Messi and Ronaldo by winning several Ballon d’Or awards. However, it has also been reported that the player is unhappy with the standard of football in France and is already planning a move back to Spain, with Barcelona’s arch-rivals Real Madrid preferred to be his destination this time around.
Should the move go through, the Galacticos will have to pay a whopping amount but they will surely be bringing in enough quality to replace their ageing Ronaldo.
Paulo Dybala
The left-footed Argentine has been compared to Messi on several occasions for their similar stature and style of football. Dybala has been in imperious form for Juventus this season and is finally living up to his potential of becoming a world-class player.
It will not be surprising to see Florentino Perez, make an audacious approach for the Juventus forward and given Perez’s history of bringing in star players to Madrid, a switch to the Bernabeu could well be on the cards for Dybala.
Although he would be playing on the right wing, Dybala would certainly be a like for like replacement for Ronaldo in terms of the quality he can add to the Real attack. Finally, a chance for Bernabeu to see what it would be like to have a Messi-ish player on their team.
