REAL COST OF RONALDO SALE

REMEMBER when Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid — what an opportunity it would be for those left behind. Free of his overbearing, egotistical presence, they could fly and express their true potential. They could score the goals he hogged, they could be the focal point of the team. Strangely enough, it hasn’t worked out like that. Real Madrid are on a 409-minute run without a goal, encompassing four games and the last 49 minutes of a 1-0 win over Espanyol. Gareth Bale is without a goal in La Liga since September 1, as is Karim Benzema. To compare, the longest run of matches Madrid went without scoring during Ronaldo’s entire career was two. It happened twice, first in october 2009 — although one of the games was a Spanish Cup defeat by Alcoron — and most recently in September 2011. Madrid lost 1-0 to Levante, then drew 0-0 at Racing Santander before beating Rayo Vallecano 6-2 — helped by a Ronaldo hat-trick. That is what he gave them. Goals in avalanches. In December 2015, Madrid failed to score against Villarreal, but either side of that disappointment, they beat Malmo 8-0 and Rayo Vallecano 10-2. Ronaldo averaged more than 50 goals a season across his nine campaigns at Madrid and the idea that anyone could replace that was preposterous. Sure enough, Bale has completed one La Liga match all season and Benzema’s barren spell stretches to 517 minutes. The headlines around Ronaldo have been darker of late, but as a professional his genius is undeniable. Madrid are not the first club to think they can be stronger without him, and all have been wrong.