Over the last few years, we've seen a number of veteran players of the old generation leave Real Madrid for the next steps of their careers, with newer, younger players arriving at the club to fill the shoes of the departing legends.
Veterans like Marcelo, Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modric have all seen their time at Real Madrid come to an end and have seen their "replacements" arrive at the club to be part of the new generation of Real Madrid history.
While the new generation will no doubt achieve copious amounts of success, some attributes of the old generation cannot be replaced, and one of those is the number of leaders in the team. Those intangibles are the biggest thing lacking from the current squad, and adding a veteran player in the January window could be a game-changer for the second half of the season.
Thankfully for Real Madrid, a veteran and club legend is set to be available in the January window and it would be in the best interest of the club to bring him in to help whip this new generation into shape.
Real Madrid should consider re-signing a club legend (and it's not Karim Benzema)
As reported by Fichajes, Sergio Ramos would be open to returning to Real Madrid to finish his career, even willing to accept a substitute role or any role within the team to fulfill his dream of retiring where he became a legend of the game.
The 39-year-old is set to leave Monterrey as a free agent once the Mexican season concludes and is hoping for a return to Europe for one last run with the ultimate goal of playing for Spain at next summer's World Cup.
Given Real's rocky defense and the desperate need for veteran leadership in the team, bring in Ramos on a short-term deal for the rest of the season would be a no-brainer. His leadership and intensity in known to all fans, and a return would no doubt be welcomed by Madridistas.
Bring in Ramos not only adds the veteran leadership quality lacking from the squad, but he also brings defensive stability to a young backline, and he could even be used as an emergency center-forward to go up and win headers late in games.
All in all, bringing Sergio Ramos back to Real Madrid on a short-term contract would be a win-win for all parties involved and should be strongly considered by the club when the January transfer window opens next month.