For a few weeks earlier this season, it genuinely felt like this could be Cristiano Ronaldo’s final season as a Real Madrid player.

The Portuguese superstar wasn’t performing to his best level under Rafael Benitez, speculation linking him with a summer move to Paris Saint-Germain was intensifying and he’d just achieved his number one objective of becoming the Spanish giants’ all-time top goalscorer.

Because Ronaldo is now in his early 30s – he turns 32 next February – this summer would appear to be Real Madrid’s final opportunity to recoup most, if not all, of the £80 million they paid Manchester United back in the summer of 2009.