Where are they now? The 7 players Cristiano Ronaldo told Real Madrid to sell in 2018
Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly wanted Real Madrid to sell seven specific players in 2018, but where are all of those stars today?
Of course, Ronaldo himself ended up leaving the club in the summer of 2018 as Juventus came in with a blockbuster offer to lure him to the Allianz Stadium.
According to reports from the time, these were the seven players that Ronaldo wanted Madrid to offload in 2018 and where all of those players are today.
Isco
During 2017-18, Isco was still regarded as a key player for Real Madrid, but Ronaldo reportedly wanted him gone because of his attitude.
While Madrid ended up keeping the Spanish playmaker around for a while longer, it’s worth noting that his output dramatically dropped off after the 2017-18 campaign.
Injuries started to become increasingly common for the Spaniard until he eventually left the club in 2022 after falling out of favour under Carlo Ancelotti.
Following a few false starts in his post-Madrid career, Isco seemed to get things back on track with Real Betis last season, although he’s missed the majority of this campaign through injury.
Mateo Kovacic
It was reported that CR7 didn’t think that Kovacic was up to the required standard at Madrid in 2018.
Given he was competing with the likes of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro for a spot in midfield, Ronaldo was probably correct in his assessment.
In the end, Madrid did listen to Ronaldo’s advice as Kovacic joined Chelsea on loan in 2018, before the move was then made permanent the following year.
Looking back on it, his switch to Stamford Bridge ended up working out well for all parties involved. Madrid pocketed around £40million and Kovacic played a key role at Chelsea for five consecutive years.
Now playing for Manchester City, it’s safe to say that the Croatian international has done alright for himself since leaving Spain.
Marcos Llorente
Like Kovacic, it was reported that Ronaldo didn’t think that Llorente was up to the required standard at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Spaniard did end up leaving the club in 2019, although he didn’t venture far as he joined local rivals Atletico Madrid in a deal worth around £35million.
Llorente certainly doesn’t seem to have any regrets over his decision as he’s since earned cult-hero status at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Keylor Navas
While Navas had enjoyed some great years with Real Madrid, it was no secret that the club was after a new goalkeeper in 2018.
While the Costa Rican shot-stopper did end up sticking around for another season, his minutes were reduced in 2018-19 following the signing of Thibaut Courtois.
He then left the club in the summer of 2019 to join PSG where he spent the next five years.
Now aged 38, Navas recently joined Argentinan side Newell’s Old Boys after spending a few months as a free agent.
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Borja Mayoral
While Mayoral was only utilised as a backup player throughout 2017-18, Ronaldo had seemingly already decided that Madrid needed better.
After spending the last four years of his Real Madrid career out on loan, the Spanish forward eventually left the club in 2022 to join Getafe.
The 27-year-old has done fairly well since leaving, having scored 34 goals in 93 appearances for the La Liga side.
Jesus Vallejo
Ronaldo didn’t get his wish granted when it came to Vallejo as the 28-year-old is still on the books at Real Madrid today.
However, despite being at the club since 2017, he’s only made 32 senior appearances as he’s spent the bulk of his Madrid career out on loan.
After spending the last three seasons on loan with Granada, Vallejo returned to Madrid over the summer, although he’s only made one appearance in 2024-25 so far.
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Achraf Hakimi
With Real Madrid currently in the market for a new right-back, we can’t help but think that Hakimi would do a decent job for them these days.
Although, whether or not he was up to the required standard in 2018 is another question entirely.
After spending a couple of years out on loan with Borussia Dortmund, the Moroccan international left Madrid on a permanent basis in 2020 to join Inter.
Then after one eye-catching year in Italy, he earned himself a lucrative move to PSG where he still plays to this day.