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Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the best players to have graced the game. During a nearly two-decade-long illustrious career, Ronaldo has scored goals and won titles galore for club and country.
The all-time Champions League top-scorer has also scored the most goals for Real Madrid and Portugal. Last season, he became the first Juventus player to score 100 goals for the club in their first three campaigns.
During his career, the 36-year-old has played with several world-class players like Wayne Rooney, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos, and Federico Chiesa, to name a few.
However, despite Ronaldo winning his first Capocannoniere award in three attempts last campaign, Juventus failed to win the league title for the first time in a decade.
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Considering his pedigree and exploits in the game, Ronaldo has on numerous occasions asked his club to sign specific players. On that note, let's have a look at five of the best such players in no particular order.
#5 Joao Felix
Joao Felix is one of the most exciting young players in the game. After a breakout season at Benfica, he was snapped up by Atletico Madrid in one of the most expensive transfers made for a teenager in history.
It was shortly before his younger compatriot's move to Atletico that Ronaldo reportedly asked Juventus to sign six players to bolster the squad, one of them being Felix.
The Portugal captain expressed that wish after the Bianconeri faltered in the Champions League quarterfinals against Ajax.
Eventually, the move didn't happen, as Juventus were apparently dissuaded by Benfica's steep asking price of €120 million for the then-teenager, who idolizes Ronaldo.
A few weeks later, Felix moved to Atletico Madrid and won the La Liga title last season.
#4 Raphael Varane
Raphael Varane is arguably one of the best active defenders in the game and had a highly successful decade-long stint with Real Madrid.
With the Merengues, Varane and Ronaldo won several big titles, including two La Liga titles and four in the Champions League, three of them coming in consecutive years.
Varane's stock rose after he followed his Champions League win in 2018 with a triumph in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where the Frenchman was one of Les Bleus' standout performers.
A year after Ronaldo left Madrid for Juventus three summers ago, he reportedly asked his club to bring Varane to Turin. The Frenchman was one of six players the Portuguese wanted Juventus to sign so that they could go all the way in the Champions League.
But with Real Madrid not willing to entertain any offers for Varane, the signing didn't happen. Two years later, the 28-year-old would move to Manchester United.
#3 Bernardo Silva
Cristiano Ronaldo's compatriot Bernardo Silva has enjoyed a fairly successful stint at Manchester City since moving to the Premier League club in the summer of 2017.
The 26-year-old has been a key player under Pep Guardiola, winning three league titles in four years and reaching the Champions League final.
A year after Silva moved to City, Ronaldo reportedly asked his then club Real Madrid to bring in his younger compatriot. With Isco expected to leave that summer owing to a lack of game time, the Portugal captain thought that Silva would 'seamlessly' fit into the side.
As things turned out, Ronaldo would leave Madrid that summer, and the Merengues also didn't make a move for Silva to bolster their midfield.
Nevertheless, Silva, who has played a lot of games for Portugal with Ronaldo, calls the latter his idol.
It remains to be seen if the duo will turn out for the same club team any time soon, though.
#2 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has been a steady performer for Lazio over the years, racking up 47 goals and 39 assists in nearly 250 games in all competitions.
Shortly after arriving at Juventus in the summer of 2018, Ronaldo recognized that the Bianconeri lacked a world-class midfielder who could make a difference, especially in Europe.
In this regard, Ronaldo reportedly asked his new club to bring in Milinkovic-Savic.
But with the Serbian valued at more than €100 million by Lazio, Juventus didn't make an approach for Milinkovic-Savic, even though he has been on their radar for a while.
#1 Karim Benzema
For much of Cristiano Ronaldo's nine-season stint at Real Madrid, Karim Benzema largely lived under the shadow of the prolific Portuguese.
Nevertheless, the Frenchman has been a consistent goalscorer for the Spanish giants, coming up with key goals at critical moments of games.
Recognizing the ability of his former team-mate, Ronaldo reportedly asked Juventus to bring in Benzema after winning a second consecutive Scudetto.
Incidentally, Benzema had played a key role in Real Madrid winning their first La Liga title in three years. Los Blancos were unlikely to let him go even if Juventus had made a formal offer for the Frenchman.
The two former teammates most recently met at Euro 2020, albeit on opposite sides of the field, as France and Portugal played out a thrilling 2-2 draw.
