Real Madrid had been in seventh heaven for some years now, but they fell straight to the ground last season. Their juggernaut was slowed down due to the unexpected departures of Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Surprisingly, they were knocked out of Champions League in the Round of 16 by Ajax. They finished 3rd in the LaLiga, amassing only 68 points, 19 points less than the champions, FC Barcelona. It was simply put just a horrific season for Real.
Zinedine Zidane is aware of how big a job he has on his hands. He needs to sort out the goalkeeping situation as fast as possible, build a robust defence again and inject more quality in the attack. Not only this, he has the duty to bring the best out of the players like Luka Modric and Tony Kroos who have endured a dismal season.
When a figure like Ronaldo leaves, a big void surfaces. Florentino Pérez thought that his squad has enough players to step up after Ronaldo's exit but that plan has seriously backfired.
We still don't know why Mariano Diaz was re-signed last year and bestowed the prestigious number 7 jersey. Same could be said for Brahim Diaz who has remained on the outskirts of the first team.
Perez is reportedly supporting Zidane to get the club back on the track and is ready to issue €300 million this summer. With this humongous amount, Real Madrid could well and truly compete for the titles again next season.
Here are the three players which could make Real Madrid super threatening again next season:
#3 Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
Let's be honest, Paul Pogba is having a tough period in England but that doesn't take away anything from his sumptuous quality and the skills he possesses. At the age of 26, Paul Pogba has won the English League Cup, Italian Cup (2), Italian Super Cup (2), Seria A title (4), Europa League and the biggest of all -- the World Cup.
On his day, he can show why people often describe him as one of the best players in his position -- for instance, how he single-handedly changed the result of Manchester Derby last year when United came back from 2-0 to 2-3 to halt City's title celebration.
At Real Madrid, he would get the opportunity to play along Tony Kroos and Luka Modric. With their quality, Pogba will get only better. He will get more room to venture forward, more confidence to showcase his skills and exemplary passes. If he wants to compete for Ballon d'Or, Real Madrid have to be his next destination.
#2 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Mbappe has already shown how adept he is in the game of football. First with AS Monaco and now with Paris Saint-Germain, he has proved the world that there is no better player than him in his age bracket.
He started in only 24 Ligue 1 games but scored 33 goals and assisted seven times. In eight Champions League games, he netted four goals and assisted five times. In fact, Mbappe is only second to Lionel Messi in terms of goals scored this season. If he had scored three more goals, he would have taken the European Golden Shoe home for the very first time.
Zidane will be keen to offload Gareth Bale. Kylian Mbappe's versatility means he can work both at the right wing and as a central striker. His arrival could make Real Madrid a force to reckon with but PSG remain adamant that they would not allow the bright young star to leave this season. Recently, they even put out a notification stating that Kylian Mbappe will be in Paris for next season.
#1 Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Arguably the best player in Premier League. Eden Hazard has been a standout player for Chelsea for many seasons now. He is the sole reason why they will be playing in Champions League next season. His numbers are simply extraordinary.
This year Belgium's skipper has played 62 games, including both national and international matches, and scored 26 goals and assisted 18 times. In this Premier League campaign, he was the most valuable player as he was involved in 31 goals directly which is almost half of the goals scored by Chelsea.
He could be a perfect replacement for Ronaldo on the left flank. The Belgian skipper is one of the best dribblers in the game, if not the best. He can excel in Zidane's preferred 4-3-3 system. With Benzema having his best domestic campaign, he is set to be the first choice number nine next season as well. With Pogba and Mbappe alongside, Eden Hazard's involvement could be like the final nail to the coffin for the opponent's hope of winning against Real Madrid.