Pavel Nedved makes bold statement on Cristiano Ronaldo, Andrea Pirlo futures

Juventus are in serious trouble. After losing 3-0 to rivals Milan on Serie A’s Matchday 35, the Bianconeri sit fifth in the table and may not qualify for the Champions League. To this point, they don’t seem prepared to fire Andrea Pirlo, but that could change if Juve end up going to the Europa League next season.

Cristiano Ronaldo‘s future is also at stake in this. Whereas Pirlo would be dismissed, Ronaldo would dismiss himself, so to speak.

Because it is hard to believe the No. 7 would want to remain in Turin without Champions League football. He has tried his best as Serie A’s top scorer and has rescued Juve on multiple occasions, including last weekend in Udine.

But it is hard to conceive a future in which the greatest player in the history of the Champions League is spending the last of his best years in the Europa League.

Pavel Nedved is confident neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Andrea Pirlo will leave Juventus

Yet Juventus vice chairman Pavel Nedved said, via Gazzetta dello Sport’s Giovanni Albanese on Twitter, that Cristiano Ronaldo will “certainly” remain with Juventus. And he said the exact same for Andrea Pirlo, backing the current manager and a fellow Juve legend.

Pirlo has the backing of the board for now, but, again, that could easily change with more disastrous performances. Most pundits thought Pirlo would be out the door after Sunday night, and even some fans who backed the manager had resigned themselves to the regista’s exit.

Yet Pirlo remains, and Nedved isn’t just confident in him, he is also confident that Juve will not lose Ronaldo in the last year of his contract.

But it could all be a final attempt to save face. Nedved himself is on the chopping block, too. Pirlo is not the only one to blame for Juve’s issues this season, and both Nedved and Fabio Paratici have to be feeling almost as much heat as the first-year manager.