With Cristiano Ronaldo's potential move to Juventus from Real Madrid coming close, the world awaits to see the Portuguese play alongside Gonzalo Higuain once again. The former teammates at Real Madrid promise to be a fascinating duo and their partnership could possibly yield tons of goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo is often labelled as one of the greatest players of all time and it is no surprise that any player will want to play alongside the legendary number 7. While his real Madrid stint has been hugely successful with lots of trophies to show for including 4 champions league titles, Ronaldo was very often left alone with the burden. But Higuain presents something Cristiano Ronaldo will appreciate that is his work rate. The Portuguese forward loves to play alongside hardworking footballers and relishes the opportunities presented to him in front of the goal.
Many great players have had the opportunity to play alongside the 5-time ballon dor winner from Portugal but only a few have been able to leave an impression on the mighty Cristiano Ronaldo.
Over the years Ronaldo has played with some of the greats of the game but there have been 4 men who formed a deadly partnership with the Real Madrid winger. Here we present you the top 4 partners Cristiano Ronaldo had in club football:
#4 Angel di Maria, Real Madrid
The Argentine sensation Angel di Maria played with Cristiano Ronaldo for 4 seasons and it is fair to say that the Portuguese winger loved the presence of di Maria.
Di Maria with all the tricks in his bag baffled defenders on his way to provide Cristiano Ronaldo with the perfect chances in front of the goal.
The Argentine was named the man of the match in real’s champions league triumph over Atletico Madrid in 2014. The duo did help real in winning La Liga once, in 2011-12 with di Maria and Ronaldo being the main men responsible for Los Blancos' title triumph.
Di Maria famously assisted Ronaldo in real’s 1-0 victory over bitter rivals Barcelona in 2011 Copa del ray final. this was the duo's first trophy for the club and thus began their beautiful journey of terrorizing defences around Europe.
Ronaldo's former employees and di maria's future ones- manchester united did face the wrath of real Madrid's sensational duo as the Argentine once again turned out to be the provider for Cristiano and the Portuguese did the rest with a towering header to level their round of 16 match of UCL at Bernabeu in 2013.
#3 Karim Benzema, Real Madrid
in 2009 Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a £80 million move. In the same year, real Madrid bought a young French striker from Lyon who went by the name of Karim Benzema and rest as they say his history. the current strike partners at Real Madrid have won a flurry of trophies together including 4 UEFA champions league titles.
Benzema has been Real Madrid's second top scorer after Real Madrid for most of the seasons and has accompanied the Portuguese well on his way to becoming worlds best player.
Often criticised for his performances and lack of goals, the Frenchman brings much more to the table than just putting the ball in the back of the net. With his off the ball movement and accurate positioning Benzema aids Ronaldo in innumerable ways.
With tons of goals between them, Los Blancos have reached pinnacles of success courtesy of their strike force. With Ronaldo set to depart, it remains to be seen what happens with Karim Benzema at Real Madrid.
#2 Mesut Ozil, Real Madrid
It was a saying at real Madrid that Mesut Ozil assists and Cristiano Ronaldo scores. The German anchored real Madrid's counter-attacks and Ronaldo finished it in style.
Jose Mourinho relied on his star men to get the job done every time and they efficiently obliged. Mesut Ozil was the top assists provider in Europe for 3 straight seasons while at Real Madrid and the man most often finding the net courtesy of his services was none other than the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo’s speed and finishing coupled with Ozil's precision made Real Madrid the best counter-attacking side of Europe.
Any time Real Madrid were on the brink, Ozil and Ronaldo made sure to get the job done.
When the German moved to Arsenal, Cristiano Ronaldo felt his absence more than anything as the services required for him to be in goalscoring positions lacked big time.
#1 Wayne Rooney, Manchester United
Who other than Wayne Rooney tops the list of Cristiano Ronaldo's football partners.
Sir Alex built a team around his two aces in the name of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. The two combined to form one of the most fearsome duos in premier league history. Wayne Rooney known for his selfless performances and high work rate was the perfect partner for Cristiano Ronaldo. The star duo helped United win 3 premier league titles along with a champions league trophy.
It is fair to say that Wayne Rooney's presence gave Ronaldo the freedom to run past his opponents, improvise well and not the least be experimental. During their hugely successful time together the duo ran riot in the premier league often being in the scoring charts for Manchester United.
Sir Alex had many great players in his squad but the two men who stood out most often were Rooney and Ronaldo.
One famous show of their devastating partnership was in 2009 when United came back from 0-2 to win 5-2 against Tottenham Hotspur with Rooney and Ronaldo both scoring a brace. Over the years Ronaldo has formed many good partnerships but his time with Wayne Rooney remains finest of all.