He remains a goalscoring machine and an impressive physical specimen but he is 36 now and knows that he will not get many more chances to win the Champions League, or the Ballon d'Or for that matter. The expectation is that it will take time for the coach to complete the overhaul he wanted to implement before being forced out in 2019.Īnd time is a precious commodity as far as Ronaldo is concerned. However, while the Old Lady looks well placed to reclaim her Serie A crown after last season's dismal fourth-placed finish, it would be a surprise if they immediately re-emerged as Champions League challengers under Allegri. Juve have also signed Manuel Locatelli from Sassuolo and the dynamic but impressively composed Italy international should significantly strengthen the team's weakest department, the midfield. The return of Massimiliano Allegri as coach is certainly a boost for the Bianconeri, who have gone backwards since his departure in 2019, and Ronaldo is likely to line up alongside Paulo Dybala and Federico Chiesa in an exciting-looking attack. It, thus, seems inevitable that Ronaldo will have no other option but to see out the final year of his Juventus contract, and it would hardly be the end of the world for him. In the current economic climate, what other club would be willing, or indeed capable, of paying the €30m (£25/$34m) fee Juve need to avoid making a capital loss on Ronaldo, while at same time matching his current net salary of €31m (£26m/$36m)? Madrid have long dreamed of signing Kylian Mbappe, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are doing their utmost to persuade Tottenham to part company with Harry Kane, while PSG have already snapped up Messi. The few clubs that could afford him all have other priorities. He may be the greatest goalscorer in the history of the game but he is by no means a man in demand. So, it's difficult not to conclude that the door has been deliberately left ajar. Of course, that doesn't mean that Ronaldo will be able to leave. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is, as Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri says, "a smart guy". He always knows exactly what he's doing and what he wants. Such an oversight was always going to be noticed by concerned fans and pounced upon by the press.Īnd Ronaldo and his entourage would have known that. And in what was a rather lengthy statement. In fact, he didn't mention Juventus at all. Ronaldo may have stated unequivocally that his "story at Real Madrid has been written", effectively ruling out a return to the Santiago Bernabeu, but he didn't confirm he would be staying at Juventus. The problem here, though, is that in seemingly trying to quash the speculation, he's only added to it. He often responds to perceived slights in the best way possible: by scoring more and more goals. As always with Ronaldo, actions speak louder than words. "Everything else? Everything else is just talk."Īnd that's a fair point. "I’m breaking my silence now to say that I can’t allow people to keep playing around with my name. I remain focused on my career and in my work, committed and prepared for all the challenges that I have to face. "As well as this most recent episode in Spain, there have been frequent news and stories associating me with a number of clubs in many different leagues, with nobody ever being concerned about trying to find out the actual truth," Ronaldo wrote. On Tuesday evening, he took to Instagram to express his displeasure with the latest rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid. Ronaldo, though, doesn't find press speculation about his future quite so funny.
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