Cristiano Ronaldo will be even better for Juventus in 2020-2021

Cristiano Ronaldo was the second-highest scoring player in Serie A last season with 31 goals, but he’ll be an even bigger threat for Juventus in 2020-2021.

In his first season with the Bianconeri, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 21 goals. And in his second, Ronaldo found the back of the net 31 times. Those 31 goals with Juventus were Ronaldo’s highest total since the 2015-2016 season when he scored 35 goals with 11 assists for Real Madrid.

Although Ronaldo is 35 and theoretically in the final years of his legendary career, he is still going strong. Ronaldo scored two delightful goals for Portugal in the UEFA Nations League to become the second player in history to score 100 goals at the international level. He now has 101.

The class of Ronaldo’s goals offer a shining example of the way his play has remained excellent in spite of his age. Rumors of Ronaldo’s decline have come and went, and while, yes, his playing style has changed, his effectiveness has not waned.

In 2020-2021, therefore, Cristiano Ronaldo could build on his goal-scoring tally even further. His 21 goals in his first season were good. His 31 goals last season were amazing. And he could be headed for even more success in 2020-2021 as he continues to “click” in Serie A.

A better supporting cast at Juventus will help Cristiano Ronaldo

What will help Ronaldo the most is an upgraded supporting cast. That he scored 31 goals last season is a testament to his consistency and class, because the team around him, besides Paulo Dybala, was not very good. Gonzalo Higuain was clearly finished at this level of football, and the midfield was in shambles creatively after Miralem Pjanic started to struggle as the season wore on.

The reinforcements are coming. Arthur Melo and Dejan Kulusevski are major, young upgrades. Weston McKennie could be, too. Luis Suarez and Houssem Aouar are Juventus’ top targets and would be world-class signings to buoy the club’s star left winger.

While it is true that 12 of Ronaldo’s 31 goals came from penalties – the most amount of penalty goals in his career since 2011-2012 – those goals could very well still be there next season. Serie A may be more strict with handballs, but if Juve’s attack improves, they will still get just as many penalties drawn from penetrative runs into the box. The best teams draw penalties, as Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone knows. 

Another 30-goal season from Cristiano Ronaldo will be his bare minimum. He’ll be shooting for 40. That’s not a realistic target for a striker in Serie A, but it is a realistic goal. It’s one Ronaldo can achieve for Juventus, rewriting record books as he’s always done.

Because with a superstar player, they are capable of scoring as much as they are fed. And next season, if Juve can find the right pieces, they can feed Ronaldo plenty. A striker upgrade and more midfield upgrades seem imminent, and the Dybala and Ronaldo connection is just getting started. Look for him to improve his goal tally for another year running in Turin.