Cristiano Ronaldo has become synonymous with Real Madrid and will certainly go down as one of the greatest players in their illustrious history - if not the greatest.

Ronaldo has won two La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey twice, and three European Cups since moving to Madrid in 2009 for a world record fee.

On an individual level he's won the Ballon d'Or five times - a record he holds with rival Lionel Messi - while establishing himself as undisputedly the finest goalscorer Real has ever seen.

Despite all that, Ronaldo has had far from a smooth ride with Real, frequently making noises over a potential exit somewhere else.

Real's number seven has been linked with a return to Manchester United since the moment he left - something he has toyed with on occasion, admittedly whenever he wants a new contract.

Ronaldo did flirt with a different club back in 2012, however, entertaining the idea of a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

This was at a time when Messi was dominating the Ballon d'Or, having won the previous three years and eventually winning it again that year.

Ronaldo felt as though Real weren't quite doing enough to help him win the crown as the best in the world and sent messages to friends discussing how he felt PSG would do just that.

Now, Florentino Perez has never struck anyone as a man who can be easily played with and, according to France Football, he had a very effective threat for his star player.

“Find me a club that puts €200million on the table," he said. "With the money, I’ll pay the release clause of Messi to take your place.”

It might be harsh to speculate on the insecurities of Ronaldo, but it really does sound like that would hit home.

And it certainly seemed to work; Ronaldo stayed and would begin racking up Ballon d'Or's ever since.

It would also turn out that PSG would indeed have that €200million to put on the table - at least they would five years later, paying Neymar's buyout clause and forcing Barcelona to release one of their prized assets.

Barca already had Messi to 'take his place', of course, but the move had an immediate impact on football as a whole in a way that has arguably never happened before.

But as big as it was, it's impossible to imagine just how different the game would be if Messi had replaced Ronaldo at Real Madrid.