Cristiano Ronaldo broke the hearts of every Real Madrid fan when he decided to leave the team earlier this month to join Juventus.
Nonetheless, the Portuguese striker believes that leaving Madrid was an easy decision, noting that players of his age usually go to Qatar or China. The 33-year-old Ronaldo who was sold by Madrid to Juventus for a transfer fee of approximately $117 million arrived at the Allianz Stadium on Monday for a medical checkup.
Before Ronaldo left the Spanish side, Real Madrid was willing to match Juventus' gross salary offer of $64.5 million but the five-time Ballon d'Or winner still decided to leave. The former Manchester United striker joined Juventus on a four-year deal.
No Offers For Ronaldo
Surprisingly, Ronaldo did not receive any offers from other clubs before joining Juventus. Prior to taking his talents to Turin, Ronaldo was involved in a riff with Madrid President Florentino Perez over a new contract. It can be recalled that Perez promised Ronaldo of a new contract after leading Real Madrid into winning the 2017 Champions League.
"I am so proud they were interested in me. I hope I can take Juventus to an even higher level," Ronaldo said.
Ronaldo is set to wear the No.7 shirt after it was vacated by Juan Cuadrado. Ronaldo will be taking a short break before starting his training sessions with his new teammates on July 30. Ronaldo has yet to confirm on whether he will play in the MLS All-Star Game or in a friendly match next month.
Massive Impact By Ronaldo
During his nine years with Real Madrid, Ronaldo helped the squad bag four UCL titles, three Club World Cups, and two La Liga crowns. He was also a lethal threat in the offensive end scoring a whopping 451 goals in 438 games.
Ronaldo is hoping to bring that same pedigree to a Juventus squad, who has been searching for its first Champions League victory since 1996. Additionally, Ronaldo is also expected to help Juventus continue their dominance in the Serie A as they look to bag their eighth consecutive Italian title next season.
"Juve have gone very, very close in recent years. They never won because finals can go either way, but I hope to help. Juventus have given be an excellent opportunity and I'm really grateful for this," Ronaldo expressed.
The arrival of Ronaldo in Turin created major shockwaves as Juventus had already sold 520,000 shirts with his name on. In addition, the signing of Ronaldo also bolstered the social media presence of the club online as it added a million followers on Twitter.
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