It is very difficult to find players like Messi and Ronaldo whose abilities are beyond doubt. And I think that instead of looking for the star player they want, it's better for them to make it themselves, or in other words they look for young players, both from their academy and from anywhere, and they create it, like Borussia Dortmund did for example. I don't deny that having star players while they can pay for them is not a problem, but there are things that are more important in my opinion, namely when they can have a solid squad and good teamwork. Even though there may not be any players who really stand out, if their team play is great then it will bring an achievement.
By the way, Real Madrid bought 16-year-old Andrik for 70 million (this is the total amount with bonuses) - this is more expensive than Neymar and Bellingham were bought at one time. Until the age of 18, he will continue to play in Palmeiras, and then move to Real Madrid. It is obvious that Real believes that they found (although everyone was talking about him) a new generation star and were able to buy it in advance. I'm not from Brazil, so I just heard about him recently, but the fact is that potential (or already active young) stars are searched for and identified very early.