Real Madrid have seen legends come and go, just like any other big club. But, for Madrid specifically, it is a bit more. It seems a bit more difficult because it happens too often.
Real Madrid have seen multiple legends of the club depart year by year. Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, now Luka Modric, it is just difficult to imagine how us fans do it every single week.
However, it is also nice to follow success of these former players. Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia in December 2022, and was the first big name to move there. He brought in so many other superstars, and it could be dubbed the Ronaldo effect.
Of course, it was not the only reason. Saudi clubs generally offer a lot in terms of money, so it made sense from a financial perspective too, but Ronaldo was the first big player to do it, and inspired many others to revisit what they call priorities.
A former Real Madrid legend just beat Cristiano Ronaldo at his own game
Benzema, his former teammate and partner in crime, was a player who followed in Ronaldo's footsteps in 2023. Little did he know, Benzema would go on to win trophies long before Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has yet to win any major trophy in Saudi Arabia since his move three years ago. Meanwhile, Benzema played his first game eight months after Ronaldo, and has now won the league and the cup already.
Benzema has been instrumental in Al-Ittihad's success, scoring 22 goals and making 10 assists this season in all competitions. He has won the player of the season award as well.
Despite winning the golden boot in Saudi Arabia once again, Ronaldo found himself trophyless for the third season in a row.
The former Real Madrid man is still very much ambitious, and a move may still be on the cards yet, but this may not sit well with the Portuguese.