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Real Madrid Transfers: The pros and cons of the top 5 forward targets for 2021

By Kevin Parvizi

PSG, Kylian Mbappe (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
PSG, Kylian Mbappe (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /

Real Madrid are headed for yet another season in which Karim Benzema is the only forward with double-digit goals in La Liga. In fact, Vinicius Junior is the only other forward with at least three goals in the 2020-2021 season thus far after 27 Matchdays.

Hardly ideal for a “Galactic” club, right?

Los Blancos aim to be the best team in the world and win every single trophy they can compete for. In order to do that, they must sign a blockbuster forward this summer, though that will be a difficult task given the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Let’s take a look at the top five targets for Los Merengues and weigh in the pros and cons of signing each player.

Juventus FW Cristiano Ronaldo

We begin with Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who sent quite the statement to the world with a perfect hat-trick in 32 minutes against Cagliari, having previously never scored at the Sardegna Arena. Ronaldo’s trio of goals puts him in Serie A’s lead with 23 in 23 appearances, and it came immediately after he caught heat for his performance in Juve’s exit from the Champions League Round of 16 against Porto.

Pros:

  • Ronaldo is still one of the best pure goal-scorers in the world, if not the best. It’s just that Juan Cuadrado is the only player who can consistently deliver the ball to him, particularly in the air. Outside of Cuadrado, Federico Chiesa, and, sometimes, Alvaro Morata, Ronaldo’s supporting cast at Juve is poor. At Real Madrid, he’d be familiar with the lay of the land and would get to play with Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, and Toni Kroos again.
  • He is the best player in the history of the Champions League. Los Merengues want to win the Champions League again. Sounds simple, right?
  • Ronaldo is the kind of megastar and personality in the locker room who can lift the spirits of the fanbase and the team. That cannot be underestimated. Real have a lot of character, but the fans are getting discouraged by the lack of firepower and the team seems to lack that little bit of extra in the final third. Plus, the nostalgia does not hurt in the eyes of the fans.

Cons:

  • Cristiano Ronaldo is 36 years old. He may only have a couple of years of top-level football left in him. But he may have even more. Whatever the case, Real cannot build a team around him. He is a short-term, all-in signing.
  • With wages likely exceeding 30 million euros, Ronaldo could prevent the team from signing a young, building-block superstar like Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe. The majority of Madridistas would love a Ronaldo reunion but not at the expense of the future.
  • Sequels are rarely better than the original. What happens if Real sign Ronaldo, nobody else, and still don’t win the Champions League?
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