Former Juventus Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Giuseppe Marotta has admitted he was not sure that signing Cristiano Ronaldo was a good idea, as the 2018 transfer was “demanding” on the financial front.
Cristiano Ronaldo Sealed A Mega Move To Juventus In 2018
In a shock move, Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus in the summer of 2018, concluding a trophy-laden nine-year chapter in the Spanish capital. The Bianconeri paid a whopping €100 million ($107 million) for the then-33-year-old, making him the biggest signing in the history of Italian soccer.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Portugal icon signed a massive €31 million ($33.26 million) per year contract at Juve. No other Juventus player even earned €10 million ($10.7 million) per year at the time.
Marotta Was Did Not Think Signing Ronaldo Was A Good Idea For Juventus
In a recent interview, then-CEO Marotta admitted that while he had no doubts about Ronaldo’s ability, he did not think the move made sense from an economic point of view.
Speaking to DAZN, he said (via GOAL):
“I must recognize 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. 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.”
Marotta left Juventus only months after Ronaldo joined, leading to speculation that the Portuguese’s signing brought about the split. The Italian, however, claimed that was not the case.
He concluded by adding:
“It was not the element that brought the splitting; the cycle was over, and we had to change.”
Ronaldo spent three seasons in Turin before signing for Manchester United. Before leaving Italy for England, the 39-year-old featured in 134 matches for the club in all competitions, scoring 101 goals and providing 22 assists. He won two Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, and two Supercoppa Italiana with the Old Lady.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, however, could not do much for Juventus in the UEFA Champions League, failing to take them beyond the quarter-final stage. He played 23 matches in the Champions League across three seasons, scoring 14 times.
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