SAN FRANCISCO, November 09, (THEWILL) –Â Reports in the Italian media monitored by THEWILL claim that Portuguese superstar striker for Juventus Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly be put up for sale as the Bianconeri wish to cash in on the prolific forward before his contract runs out.
Although not the first time such allegations have been reported, this time there are legitimate reasons to consider it factual because of the economic realities of the times. These reports insist that the Old Lady are considering selling this summer for financial reasons given the state of play during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ronaldo earns £540,000 a week which is nearly four times as much as the club’s next highest paid player, Dutch centre back Matthijs de Ligt. As the 35-year-old striker’s contract expires in 2022, the Bianconeri risk seeing their prolific forward leave for free.
The possibility of any extension to his current deal with its huge financial benefits is believed to be unsustainable. This is beside the fact that Ronaldo is not getting any younger and the Serie A giants are desirous to recoup some of the £99 million they forked out to sign Portugal’s captain from Real Madrid in 2018.
One of the major aims Juve chiefs had when they obtained his signature was for the talented player to come in and help the Bianconeri dominate in the Champions League. But, after quarter-final and Last 16 exits since his arrival, the club’s bosses have been left frustrated.
There are no doubts that Ronaldo has shown his mettle in Italy, scoring 71 goals in 94 appearances for Juventus, including six strikes in just four games at the start of the current Serie A campaign. They have not been the same without him as was recently evidenced during his self-isolation for COVID-19.
Yet, the former Red Devil was blasted as ignorant by retired Juventus ace Pasquale Bruno. Bruno’s comments on Italian football show Tiki Taka were brutal. The 58-year-old fumed:
“He is ignorant. He has been in Italy for two years and has not yet learned to speak our language.
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“He uses Spanish to express himself. He has no respect for his team-mates or for the Italians.”
But team-mate and former Chelsea player Alvaro Morata did not share that sentiment and came to Ronaldo’s defence after his new team-mate’s character was called into question.
The Spanish striker said Ronaldo was “loved by everyone.”
After their 4-1 Champions League victory over Ferencvaros, in which Morata scored twice, he said: “I don’t have to say who Cristiano is and what he does.
“He is always available, he makes himself loved by everyone, he is in the group.
“He is our most important player and we hope he will always take us to the next level.”
Ronaldo’s human side was also revealed by an Italian chef who described the humble celeb as a “decent boy” after he was forced to wait 40 minutes for a table.
Turin cook Davide Fiore emphatically denied Ronaldo showed any signs of arrogance despite keeping him and his family waiting before a pre-Christmas dinner in 2018.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
