Courtois : Ronaldo is irreplaceable but others must step up

The shot stopper said it would be impossible to take the Portuguese’s spot following his exit, but called on others to step up

Thibaut Courtois believes Cristiano Ronaldo is “irreplaceable”, but he challenged his Real Madrid team-mates to score the goals the star forward used to.

Ronaldo, 33, left Real Madrid for Juventus in July, following a long and illustrious career with the Los Blancos. His departure coincided with the exit of manager Zinedine Zidane.

1545538138.05 Courtois : Ronaldo is irreplaceable but others must step up

The LaLiga giants struggled to cope without the duo initially, but they have improved under Santiago Solari. Solari secured his first trophy at the helm with a 4-1 win over Al Ain in the Club World Cup final on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters, Courtois, who joined ahead of the campaign from Premier League giants Chelsea, stated that he believes it is up to the other key forwards to carry the goal scoring burden going forward. Madrid needed to step up to replace the goals Ronaldo scored, with Karim Benzema (11) and Gareth Bale (10) leading the way so far.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is irreplaceable, you cannot forget what he did.” Courtois told reporters. “But he is not here anymore, so it’s time for other players, like Bale did in the semi-finals [of the Club World Cup], to score the goals he [Ronaldo] used to score. If we are able to do so, it’ll be fine.”

dfd20496 3f79 43fe b6db e097f7e4cbec Courtois : Ronaldo is irreplaceable but others must step up

Madrid’s victory over Al Ain assured them a third successive Club World Cup title in a row and means that the trophy will return to Spain for the fifth time in a row. The Los Blancos previously defeated Japan’s Kashima Antlers in 2016 and Brazil’s Gremio in 2017, following their respective Champions League triumphs. They also claimed the crown in 2014, against Argentina’s San Lorenzo, while rivals Barcelona prevailed victoriously in 2015 against River Plate.

Solari’s side sit fourth in La Liga, eight points behind the Catalan club, though they do have a game in hand. They do not play again until 2019 though, when they make the trip to Villarreal on January 3.

Do check out : Former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer becomes the new interim manager of Manchester United

For more information visit our site, TechnoSports. And download our app from the Google Play Store for more real-time updates. To download the app, click here.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More like this

Guinness-World-Records-Logo-Image-via-Wikipedia

Top 5 Football Players with the Highest Number of...

Pushing Boundaries and Dominating the Guinness World Records In the realm of football, a stage where remarkable moments...

Top 10 Football Players with Most Trophies in History

Top 10 Players with Most Trophies in Football History: In the world of football, lifting trophies is...
messi beckham ronaldo football footballers leg insurance

List of Top football players who have insured their...

Insuring your body parts has become pretty common, and often these insurances are for a large sum...
ronaldo messi Top 10 Richest Footballers in the World in 2024

Top 10 Richest Footballers in the World in 2025

Top 10 Richest Footballers in the World in 2025: Football has evolved from a simple game into...
Most Champions League trophies: Real Madrid Kroos, Modric, Nacho and Carvajal

Best XI with the most Champions League titles in...

The Champions League, or European Cup as it was previously called, is the most prestigious trophy in...

LATEST NEWS

IPL 2025: Clinical Mumbai Indians Crush Sunrisers Hyderabad to Seal Back-to-Back Wins

Mumbai Indians delivered a dominant performance with both bat and ball to secure consecutive victories in IPL 2025, while Sunrisers Hyderabad faced another defeat....

IPL 2025: RCB vs PBKS – Preview, Prediction, Starting XI and Where To Watch The Match LIVE

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Punjab Kings in Match 34 of IPL 2025 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, April...

Nita Ambani Dazzles in Black & Gold at Designer Store Launch

Discover how Nita Ambani turned heads in a stunning black and gold saree at Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla’s luxe store launch, showcasing her impeccable...

Daredevil Born Again Season 2 Confirmed – Hell’s Kitchen Returns in 2026

Dive into the explosive world of Daredevil Born Again Season 2! Exclusive details on Season 2’s March 2026 release, Charlie Cox’s return, and what...

Featured