Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been mentioned in transfer rumors, but there is little reason to believe in them.
A return to Real Madrid. A move to PSG. This year, we have seen Cristiano Ronaldo linked to big-money moves away from Juventus in the 2021 summer transfer window, but while those rumors grab headlines and generate buzz, there is little to suggest any sort of basis in reality to them.
There is no hiding the fact that Juve have disappointed in the Champions League. They did a terrible job in the competition last season under Maurizio Sarri, who was far too complacent and stubborn to manage a star-studded club like the Bianconeri. Juve signed Ronaldo to win a Champions League, not be satisfied with draws and an unconvincing Scudetto. The Champions League is what matters to Andrea Agnelli, to Ronaldo, and to the supporters; the Scudetto is what the Bundesliga is to treble-winners Bayern Munich. A given.
Ronaldo has a one-track mind. He is the most prolific scorer in Champions League history and won three straight titles under Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid. And Ronaldo aims to win the Champions League, bringing home the trophy to Turin and to the desperate Gianluigi Buffon.
That is one reason for him to stay. The other is outlined by Tuttosport’s Guido Vaciago who reports that Cristiano Ronaldo is forging a similar relationship with Andrea Pirlo as he did with Zinedine Zidane.
When Juve hired Pirlo to replace Sarri, the hot takes poured in, though they were understandable due to Pirlo’s lack of experience. The team already looks better with a better direction under Pirlo, and the goals keep on pouring in for CR7. It is not a stretch to say this is the best Ronaldo has looked in Serie A, and that supports Tuttosport’s reporting of how much Ronaldo is impressed and in tune with Pirlo.
With a superstar player especially, the player-manager relationship is crucial. Ronaldo would never find that at PSG with Thomas Tuchel, who was seemingly difficult to work with at Borussia Dortmund and hasn’t exactly done much to appease Neymar or Kylian Mbappe. Neymar already tried to leave for Barcelona, and Mbappe may be trying to leave for Real Madrid. So why would Ronaldo choose him and PSG over Pirlo and Juventus? What is so special for him to achieve in Ligue 1 with a club that, as harsh as this is to say, has no brand value compared to his own?
The ship has sailed with Los Blancos, too. Ronaldo is in Turin, he is committed to succeeding at Juventus, and he has a manager he can both trust and actually work with. There is no complacency as there was with Sarri, nor is there any question of Pirlo’s pedigree or accomplishments. Pirlo can see the game like Ronaldo and level with the star player as Zidane did. And that dynamic should make Juventini excited for what could develop in 2020-2021 and even 2021-2022. Ronaldo appears to be in it for the long haul.