According to reports, Cristiano Ronaldo could be about to leave Real Madrid for Juventus.
The Portuguese superstar, who is coming off the best World Cup of his career and has scored a frankly ridiculous 450 goals in 438 games for Real Madrid, is one of the greatest goalscorers of all-time. But recently his life in Spain has been best by issues, and at 33 years of age he’s entering the twilight of his career.
With Real Madrid about to embark on a new era under new coach Julen Lopetegui, more than ever this is the chance for a fresh start using the young talent in the Los Blancos squad. If ever the chance for Cristiano, a goalscoring marvel but also an impediment to coherent positional play in attack, to depart Madrid the Bernabeu on good terms, this is it.
But who would be the winners and losers of such a monumental deal?
Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is obviously a winner here. First, he gets a big bump in his wages which is something he’s been concerned about for a couple of years now. Secondly he will be phenomenally indulged by his new club, arriving as a true legend and their great hope to win the one competition that continues to elude them: the Champions League. He will be the focal point of the team’s tactics and the media will support him and, you’d expect, the government won’t charge him with tax evasion.
Thirdly he now gets a league all to himself, away from the colossal shadow of Leo Messi. Cristiano has just 2 league titles from his 9 years in Spain, with Messi’s Barcelona taking 6 in that same time period. That’s a shockingly poor record. Moreover, Cristiano hasn’t retained a league title since 2009, his last season in Manchester.
Having a league that he can win over and over will appeal, because everyone knows the winning league titles is the primary sign of a team’s greatness and it’s one area where Cristiano’s trophy cabinet is relatively bare. You can talk about being lord of the Champions League all he wants, but to quote Stormzy: “you ain’t even lord of your yard!”
Well, now he can be.
Loser: Gonzalo Higuain
Poor, poor Pipita. Gonzalo Higuain left Real Madrid for Serie A in part to get away from the goalscoring dominance of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentine forward wasn’t a complimentary piece for the Portuguese (unlike Karim Benzema) and so he left for Napoli, where he was a tremendous success. Then he joined Juve and, again, success followed. He had established his own star in Serie A, and managed to break some ancient records in the process.
But now here comes Cristiano to crush his dreams again. There’s one of two ways this plays out: either Higuain stays in Turin and is miserable as he is forced to play a subservient target-man role for Cristiano (as with Madrid, there is a player more suited to that in Mario Mandzukic) or, he gets turfed out of his cushy position as starting striker for the constant Champions of Italy. Poor, poor Pipita.
Winner: Isco and the Spanish kids
Isco’s star has been rising fast. The Spaniard was, along with Cristiano, the primary catalyst for the surge in form that saw Madrid end 2016/17 with their first European Double since 1958 and his importance has grown since then. With Andrés Iniesta retiring, Isco will be the new star of the Spanish national side and will want similar status with Real Madrid.
Accommodating Isco and Cristiano in the same side was always tricky as there’s only one formation that maximises their abilities and lets them play at the same time (4-3-1-2) but it has its flaws. Well now with Cristiano gone, Isco can be indulged as the centrepiece of Real Madrid’s tactical structure, and given Julen Lopetegui’s affinity for the player this is very likely.
The departure of Cristiano (and thus likely his batman, Benzema) will open up minutes in the Real Madrid attack and midfield for the likes of Marco Asensio and Dani Ceballos. With Isco taking Cristiano’s spot, there is now room for the likes of Ceballos and Asensio to share Isco’s and feature even more prominently.
Winner: Paulo Dybala
The Argentine wonder has bee superb for Juventus, but he runs into a problem: he’s not a consistent goalscorer. Dybala is at his best dropping off the front and linking midfield and attack; a true no. 10. He can score for sure, but if there is a lethal goalscorer like Cristiano around then Dybala’s goals become a treat, rather than a meagre staple.
Cristiano’s goalscoring will take the pressure off Dybala, which will in turn make him more comfortable and confident in front of goal. Moreover, with Dybala’s style being that of an off-brand Leo Messi, we will finally get a (slight variant) answer to the question of what it would look like if Cristiano and Messi had played together.
Loser: Spurs
If Real Madrid sell Cristiano Ronaldo, they will probably send Karim Benzema on his way too. The French forward is sublime, but functions best as a batman (look it up) for Cristiano. Doing all the link work and savvy team stuff so the Portuguese can score goals on goals on goals. Now, Madrid could just use Benzema in a more orthodox striking role, but he’s 30, has questionable fitness and can be an erratic finisher.
Basically, Real Madrid will want a striker. A relentless goalscoring machine to replace their recently-departed relentless goalscoring machine. And only one man fits that bill right now: Harry Edward Kane. 135 goals in 187 games over the last four seasons indicate a player who should be competing for titles, which he isn’t.
Kane’s displays in the Champions League will attract Madrid, and his goalscoring prowess at the World Cup will make them salivate. Expect a world record transfer bid or two heading in Spurs’ direction after the World Cup is over. They may be able to resist it this summer, but if they don’t win a major trophy in 2018/19, Madrid will be back and it will be hard for Kane to say no. And just like that, Spurs lose another star man to Real Madrid.
Winner: Gareth Bale
The previous Spurs star man that joined Real Madrid will be overjoyed at Cristiano’s departure, however. Gareth Bale has always been at his best when Cristiano hasn’t been. Rarely have the two shone together; firstly because they occupied the same role and, now, lately, Madrid’s system changed to accommodate Cristiano’s new striker role and this didn’t suit Bale.
But with Cristiano gone and Lopetegui coming in as coach, expect Los Blancos to line-up in a 4-3-3 with Isco on the left. This leaves a space for Bale to play on the right and act as the team’s main athlete, superstar attacker and difference-maker in the final third. With Isco’s creative wizardry running the side, Bale will be unleashed as he was in the 2018 Champions League final. And we all saw how that turned out.
Loser: Javier Tebas and La Liga
Real Madrid losing Cristiano Ronaldo gives them a great chance to rebuild and build a dynasty around their young Spanish talent. So they will be fine, but La Liga as a whole will lose its second most prominent superstar and media (mainstream and social) sensation. It’s hard to not feel for Javier Tebas and the other guys in La Liga’s front office as they come to terms with losing their most marketable star for the second consecutive summer. On the field La Liga will probably be more exciting than ever, with a powerful new Atleti side, Barcelona growing and Madrid entering a new era. Off the field? They will miss Cristiano’s presence.
Winner: Serie A
As La Liga lose, Serie A wins. A genuine world star, albeit a 33 year-old one, is coming to Serie A. This move manages to both adhere to stereotypes (a legend in his 30’s moves to Serie A for an easy time of things) and buck the stereotypes (a legend who is still a devastatingly effective force moves to Serie A to find new ground to conquer). More than anything, it gives Serie A the kind of magnetic presence they have lacked since Zlatan Ibrahimovic bolted for Paris.
Winner: Beppe Marotta
What a masterclass from Beppe Marotta. The man has made his name doing quiet deals for mid-range talent, turning Juve into a phenomenal finishing school where players come in cheap and leave for big money. Paul Pogba being the prime example. But here he will have stretched his budget a bit to conjure up a world-class star, signing him quickly and with little fuss as soon as he became available.
Moreover, he’s clearly signalled his intent to try and win the Champions League in Juve’s remaining championship window (which will last as long as Giorgio Chiellini remains ambulatory, basically) whilst also signalling a shift in their almost default domestic dominance from defence-based to attack-based. This is a staggeringly smart signing from Marotta. Hats off.
The post Game over for Higuain? The big winners and losers if Juventus sign Cristiano Ronaldo appeared first on Squawka News.
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