Former Real Madrid player and coach Jose Antonio Camacho said that losing Cristiano Ronaldo would be a setback for Los Blancos, however the club's star-studded squad would likely recover from the loss.
The future of Ronaldo has become one of world football's major talking points through recent months, with the player himself repeatedly refusing to rule out a move next summer, and Paris Saint-Germain reportedly interested.
Blancos legend Camacho told radio show A la Contra of Radio 4G, in quotes reported by Marca, that, while Ronaldo leaving would hurt Madrid, it would not be such a serious blow.
"Cristiano leaving would be important, but not so serious," Camacho said. "Real Madrid will stay on the same path because they are a world-level club. But at the moment they have the best player in the world, because he has been recognised as that."
Camacho played for Madrid from 1973 to 1989 winning numerous trophies including nine La Liga trophies and five Copas del Rey, and had a very short-lived spell as first-team coach in 2004 when Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Luis Figo were the club's galacticos.
Murcian, 60, said that the current Madrid squad, which including relatively young stars such as Bale, James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos and Isco, was well placed to recover from the loss of their current biggest name.
"Real Madrid have a medium-term project," Camacho said. "In my time they had many big name players, but not much thought for the future. The club now has a great squad, apart from having Cristiano, they have seven or eight players among the best in the world."
Meanwhile, Norway teenager Martin Odegaard says he watches Ronaldo closely in training to learn as much as possible from the world's best.
After turning down many of Europe's top clubs to sign for Madrid from Stromsgodset last January, Odegaard's contract stipulates that he gets to train with the first-team galacticos during the week, while playing for the club's reserve side Castilla at the weekend with his fellow youngsters.
The 16-year-old, back in Norway on senior international duty, has been quoted by AS as saying he learned a lot from sticking close to Ronaldo during sessions at Madrid's Valdebebas training ground.
"[Ronaldo] has given me various pieces of advice," Odegaard said. "We train together sometimes, so I try and learn as much as possible from him. There is a lot to focus on, in such a good player, the best in the world."
Ronaldo's current status was also a matter of conversation when Spain's prime minister Mariano Rajoy was interviewed along with national team coach Vicente del Bosque on El Larguero.
The Portugal captain has won three Ballon d'Or awards, including the 2013 and 2014 prizes, but is widely expected to lose out to Barcelona's Lionel Messi in the 2015 voting.
However, the Partido Popular politician, who would have more likely voters in Madrid than Barcelona, said he felt Ronaldo deserved to edge out Messi again this year.
"This year I would give the Ballon d'Or to Cristiano," Rajoy said.