Real Madrid after the era of Cristiano Ronaldo

In football and elsewhere, the organization is always bigger than the individual. However there are certain individuals who play a great role in making the organization bigger. Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid was one such individual.

Real Madrid has always been a fantasy club, a club every player dreams of joining. That was a reason Ronaldo decided to sign for Madrid even while the club was going through a rough patch.

It was a tall order even for Ronaldo to help Madrid out of the rut they were in at that time. Barcelona probably had the greatest team in the history of club football, and were dominating club football.

However one thing Ronaldo doesn't know is quitting, and he didn't. Not only did he stand out for Madrid in times of adversity, he also helped them get out of the bad patch, enabling them dominate club football once again.

This culminated in them winning the UCL trophy for three straight seasons before he decided to move to Juventus.

Maybe he left at the right time with his name etched forever in Madrid history, or maybe it wasn't, only time will tell. So where do Real Madrid go without Cristiano Ronaldo? Will they continue their era of domination or will things go downhill? Lets analyse this.

What lies ahead for Madrid?

There is no doubt that the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo has left a vacuum that would be impossible to fill. However Real Madrid still possess a world class squad filled with winners and can continue their journey to more titles.

They will indeed miss Ronaldo who not only guaranteed goals, but also was a leader without an armband, and had a great impact on those around him. He was always also there in big moments, giving Real a psychological edge over opponents.

This is where Real would need to be careful in terms of filling his void. They should realize that there won't be another Ronaldo and should try to build a squad that collectively fills that vacuum.

Real recently changed their approach to the transfer market, and have focused on bringing in youths and wonder kids like Vinicius Jr, a policy they should stick with considering the inflation in the market for established superstars.

They should indeed go out to find an established attacker who can guarantee them goals, something which is gone with Ronaldo, but they should not get into panic buying mode and pay out astronomical figures if they can't find one.

The current Madrid squad has everything apart from an established goalscorer, and they might look at stop gaps like Cavani or Lewandowski who can score the goals for them in the next 2-3 years until they get a young striker.

Julen Lopetegui took over as Madrid coach after Zidane resigned

Real Madrid is a well managed club, however they are infamous for firing their managers if they end the season trophyless. That is something they should distance themselves from this time around at least.

Lopetegui is a great coach who can groom the youngsters in the squad and help them reach their potential. If Real Madrid are banking on these youngsters for their future, then Lopetegui is the perfect man to take them forward irrespective of whether they win a trophy or not in the near future.

The likes of Asensio, Ceballos, Kovacic, and Vallejo will benefit greatly from his coaching and most probably will realize their full potential under Lopetegui. As the prices in the transfer market have gone wild, Real Madrid have taken a good decision to invest in promising youngsters and should see it through.

Shape of Madrid squad without Ronaldo in short term

The current Madrid squad is having a brilliant midfield (arguably the best in the world), great defenders, and a really good goalkeeper. Their attack also has stalwarts in Benzema and Bale.

However there is a problem with that front line, Bale is injury prone and has missed almost 50 percent of the games in the last 3-4 seasons due to injuries, and Benzema has been below par in the last 2 seasons. The rest of the attackers are either inexperienced or are just not good enough to be starting big matches.

Cristiano Ronaldo pretty much papered over that, but they won't be having his services anymore. If Real Madrid are going to have a realistic chance of winning a trophy next season, not only will they require Benzema and Bale to step up in a huge way, but also hope that the other players in the forward line like Vazquez and Raul De Tomas can make an impact.

Can Bale and Benzema fill the void left by Ronaldo?

The forward line plays a huge role because irrespective of how good your defense and midfield are, if you don't score goals you won't win matches, this is why perhaps Madrid could be tempted to search for a goalscorer in the transfer market because expecting Benzema and Bale to fill up for Ronaldo's goal scoring boots may be asking too much.

Life after Ronaldo isn't going to be easy for Real Madrid, especially in the short-term, considering that not only was Ronaldo their talisman and the most decisive player, but also a huge marketable figure who helped them a lot financially.

Real Madrid definitely have the talents in their ranks, and the money power to minimize the loss, but they will need to act responsibly and carefully going forward.