Cristiano Ronaldo’s time at Juventus was short-lived but was nothing short of going down the history books. The Portuguese icon made a stunning move to Turin from Real Madrid in the summer of 2018. It was the last marquee signing for the former Juventus CEO, Beppe Marotta, which gave him a challenging period.
During a recent interview with Cronache di Spogliatoio, Marotta opened up about how it was to bring the all-time great to the shores of Turin. Marotta’s recognition of Ronaldo’s stardom speaks a lot from his words as he said, “He was a very good player, he still is and above all, he is a great champion. The champion is that person who manages to convey beliefs to his teammates.”
He further added that the signing was sort of a challenging period for him. He added, “He was a bit of a leader of the team, he was the most famous and he dragged the others into the game. So, it was challenging, but he didn’t make me angry.”
Rispondendo alle domande di alcuni bambini della Scuola Calcio ‘Torino Club Marco Parolo’, Giuseppe #Marotta ha parlato della sua storia. L’ad dell’#Inter ha spiegato anche quello che ha in mente per il suo futuro, quando l’esperienza in nerazzurro sarà terminata.
“Chi ha… pic.twitter.com/fgzkXrDGWv
— Cronache di spogliatoio (@CronacheTweet) December 4, 2023
Ronaldo’s three-year stint at the club made Juventus reach great heights both financially and performance-wise. Having featured in 134 games for The Old Lady, Ronaldo netted a total of 101 goals for the club.
During his time at Juventus, Ronaldo played a crucial role in winning two Serie A titles, two Supercoppa Italiana trophies, and a Coppa Italia. He was even awarded the inaugural Serie A Most Valuable Player and became the first player to finish as the top scorer in the English, Spanish, and Italian leagues.
Why did Cristiano Ronaldo leave Juventus?
The November of 2021 was full of headline makers. Just a few weeks after Lionel Messi departed from Barcelona to join Paris Saint Germain, Cristiano Ronaldo decided to leave Juventus to return to Manchester United with one year left in his contract.
Ronaldo’s failed attempt to win the much coveted UEFA Champions League glory for Juventus for three seasons in a row proved to be very impactful for the club. Despite having three different coaches over the course of three seasons, Juventus suffered shocking knockout round exits in each of the seasons, failing to reach the semifinals.
Everything happened so quickly 🤯
But why did Cristiano Ronaldo REALLY want to leave Juve? 🤔
Juventus correspondent @romeoagresti reveals all 🗣 pic.twitter.com/RiSq3Pr8lA
— GOAL (@goal) August 28, 2021
According to reports, Ronaldo was particularly affected by the team’s Round of 16 elimination to Porto in March 2021, and he ended up leaving the club six months later.
However, there are also some factors to consider outside the field. Due to the economic difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the club faced an estimated budget deficit of $235 million that season. Moreover, Ronaldo’s salary and transfer fee amortization cost approximately $100 million per year to the club. Therefore, fair enough to say that his departure was because of financial constraints.