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The recent transfer window announcement that Cristiano Ronaldo was set to return to Manchester United took the world by storm. This, when football fans were still reeling from Lionel Messi's decision to join Paris Saint-Germain.
Old Trafford couldn't wait to see the Portuguese maestro play and he did not disappoint, scoring two goals on his second debut with the Red Devils.
So far, the star has guided United in front of goal with six goals, a couple of which have been key to the club's current pole position in their Champions League group. However, their Premier League form leaves much to be hoped for, with United currently sitting just above mid-table obscurity.
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For Ronaldo, the last few games have been problematic, with the star picking up his first (small) goal drought since his early days at the Santiago Bernabeu. Criticism has come from all angles, but Manchester United fans are hopeful that the clinical attacker will shut his critics up with his performances on the pitch.
Cristiano Ronaldo's current stats may be great, especially if he was any other player. But they are nothing compared to the Portuguese maestro who ruled La Liga with an iron foot.
Ronaldo won back-to-back Champions League titles and picked up trophies every season with Real Madrid. He also won a number of trophies and titles with Manchester United and Juventus as well. But throughout his career, there were some world-class attackers who never got the chance to play with the star.
So, without further ado, let's take a look at five such players who might have ruled the football world alongside Ronaldo if they had played for the same team.
Top attackers who never played with Cristiano Ronaldo
#5 Luis Suarez | Atletico Madrid
With the Uruguayan international spending the bulk of his career at Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo certainly had his fair share of playing against Luis Suarez. They've played in numerous El Clasicos for their clubs, but their countries also met during the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well in the Round of 16.
Interestingly, if things had gone differently, Luis Suarez would have found himself in the Los Blancos jersey at the Santiago Bernabeu. The star had been ruthless for Liverpool, and both Barcelona and Madrid showed serious interest in signing him.
Suarez eventually moved to Barca, and the idea of a Suarez-Ronaldo pairing became an impossible dream.
#4 Thierry Henry | Arsenal legend
The Frenchman joined the Gunners a few years before Cristiano Ronaldo showed up on the scene at Old Trafford. However, for four years, the two stars met often during highly publicized matches between Arsenal and Manchester United.
Thierry Henry had a decisive style of play, alongside the capacity to turn the game around suddenly, and Ronaldo picked up those attributes as well.
Although Ronaldo's goalscoring ethics were only just coming to the fore, Henry had been Arsenal's chief goalscorer. It was during the season before the Frenchman's exit to Barcelona that Ronaldo finally crossed the 20-goals-per-season mark.
They may have met a couple of times while the stars played for Barcelona and Real Madrid, but Henry's time in Europe was already over.
#3 Sergio Aguero | Barcelona
Manchester City hit the headlines after rumors about their potential deal with Cristiano Ronaldo spread. There were many differing opinions, but everyone could agree on one fact: Ronaldo would be the perfect replacement for Sergio Aguero.
The Argentine star spent a decade performing at the Etihad Stadium and driving City to the pinnacle of European football.
Both stars might have differences in size and technical passing abilities. But as far as the main striker role is concerned, Aguero and Ronaldo are clinical, fast, and have a lot of prowess and accuracy within the penalty area.
However, both players hardly spent any time playing in the same league. Now that Ronaldo is back in the Premier League, Aguero has made his way to Barcelona for his second La Liga stint.
#2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic | AC Milan
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was a journeyman who has spent his lengthy career playing for nine different clubs. Despite this, for him to have never played with Cristiano Ronaldo is quite the surprise.
The main reason, however, is because Ibrahimovic has never played for Real Madrid. The star plied his trade at Barcelona, Milan, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain instead. Notably, Los Blancos considered signing him up in the 2019 January transfer window as per rumors, but nothing came of it.
Like Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic has height, size, goalscoring prowess, and career longevity. The Rossoneri star is currently 40 years old, but his workrate on the field hardly shows his age.
Last season, he picked up 15 goals in 19 Serie A matches for Milan, which makes one thing clear: he can play at the highest level for as long as he wants. Chances are Cristiano Ronaldo might hit age 40 while playing the beautiful game as well.
#1 Lionel Messi | Paris Saint-Germain
The dynamic duo might be different in their styles of play. But many critics and pundits have agreed that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the same team would have been just perfect.
Imagine combining Messi's selfless qualities and vision with Ronaldo's poaching skills and deadly ability within the box. There's hardly a defense that could put a stop to a side boasting this pair.
There's no chance that Messi would ever have played alongside Ronaldo in the early years of his career, having spent most of it at Barcelona. However, fans remained hopeful that they might unite after PSG signed Messi and Ronaldo made it clear that he wished to leave Juventus.
However, with Ronaldo going to Manchester United and both stars in the twilight years of their careers, it's unlikely that this dream will ever come true.
