That decision has pushed the spotlight onto remaining galacticos Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema to step up and show they are big enough and good enough to lead the team’s front-line.

The summer also saw the surprise departure of Zinedine Zidane, the coach as Madrid overcame sometimes dodgy domestic form to win in Europe in each of the last three seasons. The club legend left the post suggesting an aging team needed an influx of new talent.

Zidane’s replacement Julen Lopetegui has publicly backed Perez’s decision not to sign a new big name star but privately lobbied to add another new forward to his squad.

Late in the window, Perez allowed for the return of former Madrid youth teamer Mariano Diaz from Lyon for €21.5m.

The club hierarchy also spent €45m to bring 18-year-old starlet Vinicius Junior from Brazil.

Neither youngster has played a minute of senior action so far, as Lopetegui has given Bale and Benzema their head, and both have benefitted from a full pre-season without involvement in the summer’s World Cup.

The exiled former France international’s four goals in four games has him alongside Barcelona’s Lionel Messi

atop La Liga’s early season scoring charts. Bale has three strikes for his club already, plus a long-ranger as Wales hammered Ireland in the Uefa Nations League a fortnight ago.

The international break also saw Ronaldo’s direct replacement in the current Madrid starting XI, Marco Asensio, record two goals and three assists as Spain smashed World Cup finalists Croatia 6-0. The underlying message coming from the Bernabeu has been that the departure of their leading individual is allowing for more of a team focus.

Obviously it’s going to be a little different from having such a big player there,” Bale said in Monday’s Daily Mail. “It’s maybe a bit more relaxed, yes. I suppose there is more of a team, more working as one unit rather than one player.

That plan looked pretty good as former Spain national coach Lopetegui’s side easily won their first three 2018/19 La Liga games — against weaker opposition in Leganes, Girona, and Getafe. Then came Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao, when Benzema did not have a shot at goal while Bale was substituted as his team chased a winner. Madrid lost their 100% domestic record, letting Barcelona take a two-point lead, in what already looks a straight head-to-head battle for the title.

“It sounds obvious, but all we lacked was just scoring one more than the opposition,” said a frustrated Lopetegui on Saturday evening. “We created lots of chances, had twice as many shots as they did. We just were not clinical enough in front of goal.”

This time last season Zidane was saying something similar, as Ronaldo went through one of his characteristic early-season droughts, and Madrid’s results were poor. But the Portuguese came good in the end, as he has done throughout his career.

This year’s group stages draw was kind to Lopetegui and his side, who should have no trouble progressing through to the last 16, with Czechs Viktoria Plzen and Russians CSKA Moscow making up the numbers in a relatively low-profile Group G. “We know there are a lot of strong teams,” Benzema said ahead of Roma’s visit to the Bernabeu. “But at this club the goal is always to try to win everything and play well. Roma are a good team with very good players. I’m always thinking about scoring goals, giving assists and helping the team win. This year I’m the third captain and I have to show all I can do.”

Domestically, things look a bit more challenging. Having lost to Atletico Madrid in August’s Uefa Super Cup final, Lopetegui needs a win in the up-coming La Liga ‘derbi’ against the neighbours in 10 days at the Bernabeu.

Blancos fans and pundits are already looking forward to the first Clasico of the season, at Barcelona on Sunday, October 28, as the game to really determine how Madrid are shaping up without Ronaldo and Zidane.

Adding to the drama this week is Juventus beginning their UCL campaign at Valencia tomorrow night, with Ronaldo having got his first goals for his new club in Sunday’s 2-0 Serie A win over Sassuolo.

Valencia’s Mestalla is among his favourite La Liga grounds, with 15 strikes against Valencia in a Madrid jersey, including two in a 4-1 victory last season.

Since leaving Spain, Ronaldo has not been shy about contrasting the warm reception from Juve’s owners with the cold shoulder often shown by Perez and others in the Spanish capital.

Over history, many great players have left Madrid, but the club is above all of us, even icons like him [Ronaldo] and [Zinedine] Zidane,” Madrid club captain Sergio Ramosresponded.

“He has decided on a change, I hope it all goes well for him, and us too.”

Assuming an out-of-form Roma side do not provide too stiff a test tomorrow evening, many at the Bernabeu will surely wonder how their old flame is faring.

Especially if Lopetegui’s side and Bale and Benzema in particular are struggling to entertain the home crowd.

During his nine seasons at Madrid, Ronaldo always eventually answered his critics with goals — so it would be no surprise to see him upset his former colleagues and steal the local media headlines again this week.