As a Madrid fan, I'm conflicted about this.
On one hand, I don't think any Madrid fans "wanted" him to go. He's a once in a generation (really twice in a generation alongside Messi) player that all of us who are fans of the sport will always remember. Fans of the club will always remember the insane run in the CL, winning 4 out of 5 titles. He may not be the player he was 4-5 years ago, but he is still arguably top 2. I wish him the best at Juve, as long as that best doesn't come at the expense of Madrid.
With that said, I can't blame the club, or Perez more specifically, for making the move. He isn't getting any younger and among all the talk about why this happened, it seems like part of it was his realization that the club has been prepared for a future without him. I don't see him taking not being on top sooner rather than later very well, and I doubt Madrid wanted that struggle to be front and center while still paying him a huge salary. Instead, they get a huge chunk of money for a 33 year old, are off the hook for his wages, and we don't have to witness his "fall" play out at the club.
In terms of replacements, I think Mbappe is a pipe dream right now. Neymar seems highly unlikely too (I doubt PSG/Qatar will make it easy), but I think if either of the two PSG players come, it will be Neymar. I'm not really a fan of his attitude and antics, even if he is arguably the biggest name in the sport besides Messi/Ronaldo. Still, I'd personally prefer Neymar stays away. I'd be happy with Hazard, and he seems like he would love to come to Madrid. Dybala seems to be the other name being dropped, but I doubt Juve is keen on losing one of their major pieces now that they have splashed the money for Ronaldo, I'm sure in no small part to get them a CL trophy.
On one hand, I don't think any Madrid fans "wanted" him to go. He's a once in a generation (really twice in a generation alongside Messi) player that all of us who are fans of the sport will always remember. Fans of the club will always remember the insane run in the CL, winning 4 out of 5 titles. He may not be the player he was 4-5 years ago, but he is still arguably top 2. I wish him the best at Juve, as long as that best doesn't come at the expense of Madrid.
With that said, I can't blame the club, or Perez more specifically, for making the move. He isn't getting any younger and among all the talk about why this happened, it seems like part of it was his realization that the club has been prepared for a future without him. I don't see him taking not being on top sooner rather than later very well, and I doubt Madrid wanted that struggle to be front and center while still paying him a huge salary. Instead, they get a huge chunk of money for a 33 year old, are off the hook for his wages, and we don't have to witness his "fall" play out at the club.
In terms of replacements, I think Mbappe is a pipe dream right now. Neymar seems highly unlikely too (I doubt PSG/Qatar will make it easy), but I think if either of the two PSG players come, it will be Neymar. I'm not really a fan of his attitude and antics, even if he is arguably the biggest name in the sport besides Messi/Ronaldo. Still, I'd personally prefer Neymar stays away. I'd be happy with Hazard, and he seems like he would love to come to Madrid. Dybala seems to be the other name being dropped, but I doubt Juve is keen on losing one of their major pieces now that they have splashed the money for Ronaldo, I'm sure in no small part to get them a CL trophy.