Former Real Madrid midfielder Fernando Redondo believes that the club have been hurt by the departure of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer.
In an interview with Spanish publication MARCA, former Real Madrid star Fernando Redondo has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit in the last summer window has had a negative impact on the club this season.
Ronaldo brought an end to a successful nine-year association with Real Madrid this past summer, when he joined Juventus in a €100 million deal. During his spell with Los Blancos, the Portuguese maverick shattered all kinds of records, winning two La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies and becoming the club’s all time leading goalscorer with 451 strikes.
The 33-year-old has continued to make headlines since joining the Italian champions, as he leads the goalscoring charts in the Serie A with 19 goals and has contributed with 10 assists as well in 26 appearances. While Ronaldo is spearheading Juventus’ Serie A title charge, his former club have struggled in their league campaign this season.
Real Madrid currently sit in the third spot in the La Liga table. They find themselves twelve points off of leaders and bitter rivals Barcelona and five below local rivals Atletico Madrid in the second spot. While there has been some improvement under Santiago Solari, back-to-back Clasico defeats in the last week will have dented their confidence.
Speaking to MARCA a day after Real Madrid’s 0-1 loss to Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu, Redondo claimed that his former club have suffered this season because of Ronaldo’s departure in the summer. “After having won the Champions League the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo is clearly impacting the team.
“We can see a lack of forcefulness, effectiveness, the kind which Ronaldo guaranteed. This process isn’t going to be easy, but the fact Real Madrid are always alive in the Champions League is a plus,” said the 49-year-old, who made 228 appearances for the Merengues.
Redondo’s remarks certainly hit the nail right on the head, considering how dearly Real Madrid have missed Ronaldo’s presence on the field this season. Gareth Bale was supposed to replace the Portuguese as the main man at the Bernabeu, but the Welshman has once again struggled for form and fitness.
Karim Benzema has been inconsistent as well, while Marco Asensio has also failed to live up to the expectations. There is a huge positive in the emergence of Vinicius Junior, who is carving out a reputation for himself in his debut campaign, but the Brazilian is still very much a raw talent.
Following consecutive defeats to Barcelona in the past week, Real Madrid will be hoping to return to winning ways and advance to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, when they welcome Ajax for the second leg of their Round of 16 tie on Tuesday night.
