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Real Madrid continue to depend on Cristiano Ronaldo

By Aakanksha Sharma

Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates a goal during the Spanish League football match between Real Madrid CF and Girona FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 18, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / JAVIER SORIANO (Photo credit should read JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images)
Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates a goal during the Spanish League football match between Real Madrid CF and Girona FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 18, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / JAVIER SORIANO (Photo credit should read JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images) /
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The international break is over and Real Madrid will resume La Liga action Sunday as they take on Las Palmas. As they pursue the only trophy within their reach right now, the Champions League, their fate lies in the hands of the master-chief, Cristiano Ronaldo.

It is primarily his form, and his performances, which will decide whether Los Blancos can mount a meaningful defense of their favorite trophy. Let’s take a look at why Real Madrid continue to depend on Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal during the International friendly match match between Portugal and The Netherlands at Stade de Genève on March 26, 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal during the International friendly match match between Portugal and The Netherlands at Stade de Genève on March 26, 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /

Real Madrid hasn’t found a successor to Ronaldo, yet!

Real Madrid bought Gareth Bale with much fanfare in 2013.

President Florentino Perez was convinced he had found the next flag-bearer for Madrid; as did the media and the fans. Bale showed a lot of promise in his first season – his goals in the Champions League final and the Copa Del Rey final immediately spring to mind. The Copa final was all the more prominent because Ronaldo was watching from the stands, and Bale was filling in for him as Madrid’s talisman.

How that sentiment towards Bale has shifted since then is quite evident, and rightfully so. He is not even a confirmed starter anymore for the big matches for Real Madrid.

No one doubts his potential, but his injuries have plagued his form, consistency, and continuity. So much so, that the club is reportedly looking to sell him this summer.

There was another section which hailed Marco Asensio as the heir to Ronaldo, a superstar in the making. And the youngster has delivered multiple performances which have left many in his awe.

However, he is still young and needs to work on his finishing, box play, decision making, and consistency. He is being nurtured with the intention to take over for Ronaldo, but only time will tell when and whether that will happen.

In other words, Ronaldo is still the main man – the talisman. He is the one Zidane looks to when the team needs the tides to turn. And he continues to deliver.

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