As the titleholders prepare for their first knockout tie without the Portuguese forward in a decade, Goal analyses his pivotal role in past triumphs
Few would disagree with the view that Julen Lopetegui failed dismally to get the most out of his resources at Real Madrid.
Certainly, the Camp Nou capitulation that cost him his job last October was embarrassing, and cast in an even more unfavourable light by last week's impressive Copa del Rey draw at Barcelona under his successor Santiago Solari, who has also taken the Blancos from ninth in La Liga to second.
Nonetheless, Lopetegui's father, Jose Antonio, raised a valid point when blaming Real's decision to sell Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus last summer for his son's struggles at the Santiago Bernabeu.