What a monster! What a goddamn legend!

Just like our third CL win in a row, I'm still having serious trouble absorbing the fact that Ronaldo is no longer with us. If it was up to me, I wouldn't let him go, but I'm just a powerless fan with no say in the matter.

Still, this won't and shouldn't stop me for taking the time to appreciate and thank him for everything he has done for Madrid.

He's irreplaceable. That is a fact. Florentino will soon realize that. When Benzema and Bale have a combined 25-goal haul per season, he'll realize the grave mistake he did by letting Ronaldo go. When Real Madrid ceases to have a representative in the Ballon d'Or last three, he'll realize that. When he looks around in his presidential booth while we're 1 or two goals down, begging for a miracle to bail us out, he'll realize that. When Bale is too busy getting injured and Benzema is chasing invisible butterflies on the field, he'll realize that. When he's world class midfield is in desperate need of an assassin up front to bury the ball in the back of the net, he'll realize that.

Yes, no player is bigger than the club. But Ronaldo didn't want or ask to be bigger than Madrid. He just wanted you to fulfill your promise and give him half of what Messi makes at Barcelona. You didn't want to break the wage structure of Madrid, but you ended up breaking its spine in the process.

Look around, Florentino. There's no one as good as him to replace him with. You lost the greatest goalscorer the game has ever seen for a mere 105m (over two seasons) just to keep your holy wage structure intact.

As for me, I'll just stand and give an ovation to a player who gave his best years to Madrid and put us back on the map after we had lived for so long in the dark ages.

Thank you, Cristiano. We'll never be able to even begin to repay you for what you did for us, but you'll forever be held very dearly in our hearts and your roar will forever echo through the walls of the Bernabeu.

Thank you, Cristiano. Thank you, Kommander! Thank you for everything and I wish you all the best with Juventus and everywhere else. The Bernabeu is forever in debt to you, you legend.

9 years of monstrosity.

What can you even say about him that hasn't been said?

Really is an end of an era.

I am still in shock tbh, I never thought he'd actually leave. But this became a game of egos and none of the two parties wanted to back down so the best was to break up amicably. I can understand both sides of the story. Ronaldo can be a pain in the ass but what he asked for wasn't that unreasonable. Oh well, hala Bezema

Ultimately the ends justified the means with Ronaldo. Up until 2014 this was not the case and he was partly to blame for it in an essential way i think. Now he is seen as perfect by many and fine, i get it, but i don't want to see us ever have to bend our team over ever again the way we did with him.

Mission in 2009 when "Ronaldo Era" begins: Restore Madrid back to glory.

Mission accomplished.

But unlike those players who ask for more money, Ronaldo actually backed it up on the pitch. Model professional, very very very rarely got injured and always turned up when we needed him. I would've liked for him to have stopped thinking about what Messi gets because Barcas wage structure is so messed up plebs like Umtiti are holding them hostage after a season. I can also understand the club not wanting to make it a habit to renew players every season whever they feel like it. We have WC players in every position bar the attack and if they startdd asking for wages other players get at their clubs we'd have to renew every contract one by one every season.

I supposd this serves as a reminder for the rest of the squad that not even Ronaldo can have exceptions made for him. He is the 4th wonderful player we've had that has left due to contractual issues. Looks like that's one issue the club won't negotiate on. I remember ZZ wasn't even in the top 10 list for wages. I just hope we don't become Arsenal lolz

Madrid would never become like Arsenal post Wenger. Like, never. It sucks we lost Ronaldo, like it really sucks but it isn't something the club cannot move on from.

About replacing his goals which is a huge fking deal, just read something from managing madrid and one of its founders wrote an article which kinda describes my own feelings towards it:

Kiyan Sobhani of Managing Madrid wrote:There is no one way to replace Ronaldo’s goals. He is a statistical unicorn — a complete freak. There are two players who can churn out 50-goal seasons, and you’re not getting the other one. If Real Madrid can’t land Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, or Neymar — there is reason to believe at least one of them will be at Real Madrid at some point in their career, but likely not this summer — to help carry the scoring load, then you’re starting to look at players in the Robert Lewandowski / Mauro Icari mould. The current version of Lewa is a watered-down adaptation of his former self. Icardi is an assassin in front of goal, but there are questions of fit — especially in a Lopetegui scheme that asks so much of its strikers. Lopetegui would probably make it work with someone like Icardi (as he did successfully enough with Diego Costa), but he’s long been a fan of strikers who can do more. He’s had success with packing the midfield and deploying a false-nine, and has long been a fan of using strikers like Iago Aspas and Rodrigo Moreno over Alvaro Morata.

Obsessing about bringing in a pure goalscorer would limit your train of thinking into potentially signing the wrong player. If Eden Hazard does become the big signing this summer, then the question is no longer ‘can Hazard replace Ronaldo’s goals?’; but rather ‘how can the team collectively compensate for Ronaldo’s goals?’. There is an argument to be made that the emphasis should be on the holistic feel of the team. It’s not inconceivable that Hazard and Bale can combine for 40 goals next season. Then you add a combined 15-20 from Isco and Asensio, plus an increased output of 20+ from the starting striker (whoever it may be) — it’s not the worst position to be in. It can work. Cautiously, it’s even exciting. It would still be one of the most lethal attacks (if not, then de facto the most lethal attack) around — backed up by arguably the best midfield line on earth.

I'm as grateful for what he's done for us, as all of you. He's a club legend, a future legend of the sport, and a fantastic athlete who's surprisingly never had any substantial injury problems throughout his extraordinary career. He's truly one of a kind, and an absolute steal considering the now laughable transfer record we broke when we brought him over. He might even trump Beckham, in terms of how marketable he is.

That said, am I the only one who's noticed how much he's declined this season? I know we won't be able to replace him, but this was going to happen sooner or later, and based on the comments I've read on here lately, it almost seems as if people think he's still in his absolute, undying prime. He clearly compensated for his evident lack of stamina and sharpness during the first half of the season with his timely return to form during the latter half, but the realist in me couldn't help but take note of that extended slump in form.

He gave 120% during his thrashing of Spain in the world cup, which ended with him uncharacteristically collapsing on the grass and huffing and puffing as soon as the whistle blew. The following matches peaked with his clutch, headed goal against Morocco, but were otherwise unspectacular, and again, I thought he looked drained of energy. He will be missed, and it's a damn shame that we seemingly don't have any half worthy replacements lined up, but despite his decisive efforts in this past season, I'm not convinced that we've lost a player still at the peak of his powers. Whether it happened this season or the next season, a competent replacement would still be hard to come by.

I feel confident that we'll have a smooth transition into life without him, and if we manage to bring in someone with more fuel in his tank, we might even be able to turn around our luck in the assumed inferior, domestic league, which demands that we play on a high level more consistently.

It's funny i remember a time when i was wondering whether CR would actually help us win a CL in Madrid. I dont know if you guys remember, right around Mourinho's third season, the 3rd consecutive CL semis fail; we just couldnt quite get over that hump, Mourinho had lost the team, Iker was unravelling, Arbeloa was Mourinho's n1 soldier, and CR could not quite make the difference in those late CL rounds...

5 years later, 4 CLs achieved, it sounds like a long time ago but it just reminds how thin is the margin between success and failure at our level.

CR is by far the best, most consistent performer i have ever seen for Madrid. For a long time when he got to Madrid i just did not like him as a player, but i am damn sure appreciative of all that he achieved in Madrid. I think from a competitive point of view, he pushed and tried to lift this team up as much as he could. CR7 symbolically is a turning point in our history, he was a key part of our most successful era and that i am very grateful for.

There is no need to feel sad or anything like that. In a way i very much enjoy players exiting at their best and that can be done two ways. Retiring on a high, or leaving before we start seeing the scars. CR chose the later and it's ok. His problems with Perez just went to far, good or bad, it doesnt really matter at this point because i think we had reached the end of a natural cycle, and it's much easier to leave now than it would have been 5 years ago.

Hala Madrid boyz, cheers

I had more doubts about Ramos than I had about CR, and it's absolutely comical how crucial Ramos' goals, of all things, have been to our success in recent years. His defensive discipline record is infamous, but he's really improved in that respect, as well.

Well, that's because it's a team game, and if i remove Modric from our squad i dont know if we win as much. Likewise for marcelo, likewise for Ramos, or Casemiro. we had key players all over, and together they dominated.

It's impossible to replace each part individually but the goal here is again to build a new team that goes on another european and domestic run.

Can't wait to meet Juve in the CL tbh, hope he flops