Although Josep Guardiola confirmed that Real are still a strong team after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, the young coach admitted that the European champions "lost scores of goals annually."
The current manager of Manchester City used to face Ronaldo when he was leading Barcelona while the Portuguese star played for the Royal team.
"With Ronaldo or without him, Real Madrid are a top team, but they lost a lot, 50 or 60 goals a year (the team could score)," Guardiola said in a televised interview before the Spanish league.
"He is an unbelievable player, not only for his goals, but also for helping the team in important moments," he said.
Pep has commented on the troubled start of Real Madrid this season, where the team remain in seventh place after 9 rounds, and before a visit to Barcelona in Clasico on Sunday.
"Real Madrid has started well, and now it has stumbled, but it will continue to progress," he said.
"As usual, most of the Clasico games are unpredictable," said Guardiola. "But Barcelona are playing at home and this is increasing their strength."
