In the early stages of the season, Real Madrid seemed to cope without Cristiano Ronaldo, but they have now hit a serious crisis, and a club insider has now insisted the sale of the club's all-time record goalscorer is to blame.
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Former Los Blancos president Ramon Calderon, who was in charge of Ronaldo's transfer from Manchester United to Real, has claimed the Spanish giants made a big mistake in selling the 33-year-old.
"The current situation is primarily the consequence of the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo," he told SPOX and Goal.
"You cannot replace a player who scored 450 goals in nine years. That this quality Real Madrid is currently missing is obvious."
Calderon was also asked if he thinks Ronaldo's sale can be linked to the defensive frailty of the club.
"Not only. The World Cup has certainly also contributed to the bad shape," he added.
"Important players like Luka Modric or Raphael Varane are not fresh because they played all matches at the World Cup. Sergio Ramos also notes that he made 60 games last year. This problem has other big teams as well.
"I stick with it: Cristiano's absence is the main reason behind the constitution of Real Madrid. He was more than a scorer.
"He literally carried the team on his shoulders, much like Lionel Messi gave FC Barcelona a chance.
"If a team has a problem, they are looking for their leader to solve this problem. And Real Madrid does not have such a leader, such a protagonist anymore."
Read: 'Not Replacing Ronaldo Was A Big Mistake'
Real have dropped to seventh in LaLiga after failing to win any of their past four league fixtures, losing three of them.
Another defeat in the upcoming El Clasico at the Camp Nou on Sunday could see under-fire coach Julen Lopetegui get sacked, with the likes of Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho and Guti having been named as potential replacements.
Do you think Ronaldo's sale is to blame for Real's poor start to the season? Have your say in the comments secion below.
