Cristiano Ronaldo made the switch from Real Madrid to Juventus in the summer of 2018 for one hundred million euros. A hefty amount for a 33-year-old footballer, even though the qualities of the Portuguese are of course beyond question. With Ronaldo in the ranks, Juventus could finally seriously participate in the battle for the Champions League, or so was the line of thought. Almost three years later, Turin is still waiting for the first Champions League trophy since 1995/96, when Ajax was defeated in the final after penalties.
In a season in which Juventus seems to be grabbing the league title, questions about the collaboration between Ronaldo and Juventus are growing. “Juventus attracted Ronaldo to win the Champions League, but they have fared worse with him,” concluded former forward Antonio Cassano. “Without Cristiano they would also have become national champions. It was the wrong project. His arrival was a mistake. ”
Each of the last nine league titles in Italy went to Juventus, but the question is whether the tenth in a row will come. Andrea Pirlo’s team came no further than a 1-1 draw at Hellas Verona on Saturday evening and now has seven points less than leader Internazionale, which since the trebleseason of 2009/10 no longer won the league title. AC Milan has three points more as number two.
“Cristiano will always keep scoring goals. He knows better than anyone how. He goes in from the left, puts the ball in front of his right and shoots the ball in. His headers are unique, ”emphasized Cassano. “But Pirlo wants Juventus to build up the game, put the opponent under pressure and get the ball between the lines. That means that Ronaldo is not making a big contribution in that regard. I really think Ronaldo will have done badly here unless Juventus wins the Champions League. ”
Ronaldo, now 36 years old, won two league titles and two Supercoppas with Juventus and was voted Player of the Year in Serie A in 2019. With 91 goals in 118 duels in all competitions, the Portuguese has at least a big impact on the game of Juventus. In the past two seasons, however, the club did not get further than the quarter and eighth finals of the Champions League. In this football year, Juventus has to brush away a 2-1 defeat in the first game with FC Porto in the first eighth final game on 9 March.