Juventus chief 'didn't agree' with Cristiano Ronaldo signing as surprise transfer admission made

The former CEO of Juventus has revealed he didn't want the club to sign Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players of all time, so when Juventus were offered the chance to sign him, they took it.

In 2018 the five-time Ballon d'Or winner made the shock decision to leave Real Madrid after nine trophy-laden years at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Juventus paid €100 million (£86 million) to take Ronaldo to Italy, but not everyone was happy with the move.

Former Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta left the Serie A giants months after Ronaldo arrived, and he has now revealed that he never wanted the club to sign the superstar.

"I must recognise that I spent 10 wonderful years at Juventus, but when the owners want to adopt a different strategy, then a manager must take a step back," he told DAZN.

"It was fair to respect the club’s desire. I partially didn’t agree with signing Ronaldo. The player can’t be questioned, but the deal was demanding in financial terms.

"It was not the element that brought the splitting; the cycle was over, and we had to change."

Ronaldo spent three years in Turin, winning Serie A twice and the Coppa Italia once. Over the course of three seasons with the Bianconeri he made 134 appearances in all competitions, scoring 101 goals and setting up 22 more.

Ronaldo- Getty

In 2021 Ronaldo made a shock return to Manchester United, 12 years after he left the club to join Real Madrid.

His second spell at Old Trafford did not pan out like the first though, and 15 months after his return his contract was terminated after he publicly criticised and undermined United manager Erik ten Hag.

The attacker joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr after the 2022 World Cup, where he is still playing at the age of 39.

Marotta has previously hinted that working with Ronaldo at Juventus was not always straightforward.

"He was a very good player, he still is and above all he is a great champion," he told Cronache di Spogliatoio in December.

"The champion is that person who manages to convey beliefs to his team-mates.

"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."

Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus, Serie A, Manchester United, Al Nassr

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton