Real Madrid players have been under the spotlight today for their 2018/19 official squad photo – the first one in a decade without Cristiano Ronaldo! The 33-year-old superstar joined Juventus in July for £99m in a transfer which sent shockwaves across the football fraternity.
The Madrid squad have show no signs of a Ronaldo hangover so far though – remaining unbeaten in La Liga with three wins out of four.
The mood around the squad is also very positive, highlighted even further in the recent photoshoot, with Ronaldo now firmly in the Bernabeu past.
Several players have had their say on the Portuguese’s departure – most notably first-team stars Marcelo and Gareth Bale.
Brazilian left-back Marcelo was quizzed after they dropped their first points of the season against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
However, the 30-year-old, who had a close relationship with Ronaldo at the Bernabeu – insists they aren’t missing their former No 7.
He said: “I think supporters also often remember Raul, Zidane… Not only Cristiano.
“The draw is a bit disappointing. We were hoping for a fairer outcome, which would have been to win the game.”
Bale risked falling out with Ronaldo after recently claiming he believes Madrid have more team spirit without Ronaldo.
He added: “Obviously it’s going to be a little different from having such a big player there.“It’s maybe a bit more relaxed, yes. I suppose there is more of a team, more working as one unit rather than one player.”