Should Juventus want to keep a wantaway Cristiano Ronaldo?

Welcome to the eleventh hour of the 2021 summer transfer window, good people!

Speaking from a universal point of view, it has been a fascinating summer transfer market with numerous zigzags, upheaval, unfortunate outcomes, successful ends to the long-lasting transfer sagas and players — going against their will — staying put at their prevailing clubs. No, the last expression is intended towards Harry Kane — who has recently insisted on carrying on his uncertain future at Tottenham Hotspur — but Juventus’ household name, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The build-up…

Ever since the Bianconeri getting knocked out of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Turin has been one of the mostly-discussed issues in the Italian media.

The Portuguese talisman has been extensively linked with a move away from Turin and most possibly from Serie A this summer. As such, he is nowadays considered a wantaway asset at the club, having decided to play for the Piedmontese club quite unwillingly.

Following a mellow summer window where Ronaldo’s future has been discussed widely — but without any major turnaround in his situation (he was looking certain to spend another year at Juventus one time), the Ronaldo rumours abruptly sprang to life right before Juve’s Serie A curtain-raiser against Udinese last Sunday.

What was later labelled as a tactical tweak by the Bianconeri boss in Massimiliano Allegri, the opening encounter on Sunday saw Ronaldo’s name excluded from Juventus’ starting eleven. Regarded as fit as the “Iron Man”, Cristiano Ronaldo was believed to be pushing for a summer exit, and the idea of him being unfit to play the game got straightaway overshadowed by the rumours of him potentially looking for a buyer late in the summer transfer market.

Interest from the clubs in Juventus’ most precious gem…

Real Madrid’s returning gaffer Carlo Ancelotti was found posting a tweet, re-affirming that he has never tried to lure Cristiano Ronaldo back to the Spanish capital since joining the club this summer after departing Everton.

With Ronaldo also stating on his Instagram that his “story at Real Madrid has been written”, it seems more impossible than unlikely for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to ever return to Los Blancos. Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, and Manchester City — only these three names have been mentioned yet and again whenever the talks of Ronaldo’s exit has erupted like a volcano in recent times.

However, if we turn our focus on the latest reports coming out of the respected media outlets, Manchester City have been deterred by the humongous salary demand of Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently earns a reported weekly wage of around £510,000 at Juventus.

Furthermore, it is believed that Man City are reluctant to even pay Juve’s £21 million asking price for the player. With PSG and Manchester United looking no more interested in completing a deal for the Portuguese under the current circumstances, there are certainly not many options left available across Europe for one of the greatest players of all time.

Moving beyond Europe to play football would also serve no avail. Thus, the only viable option appears to be staying at Juventus. But should Juve be bold enough to keep a wantaway superstar like Cristiano Ronaldo under their ranks?

What does an aged Ronaldo offer Juventus?

Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, a Juventus president between 2006 and 2009, believes that the sooner Ronaldo leaves the Turin-based side, the better fruits the future would bear for them. Speaking to SerieA News, Gigli said,

"“I’ve always been honest: signing Ronaldo was a mistake. It’s impossible to recoup the investment and it will remain that way.  He’s a great player, but I have to be honest – the sooner he leaves, the better for him and for Juventus.“I hope that Massimiliano Allegri knows how to continue using him like he did against Udinese. That is, with intelligence and when the game is in progress. Ronaldo hampers Juventus’ attack. Without him, they can do excellent things in collective terms.”"

The closing lines appear a little harsh on a player who became the fastest player ever to 100 Juventus goals and was last season’s Capocannoniere, almost single-handedly guiding the Bianconeri to a fourth-place finish. There was adequate assistance from others like Alvaro Morata, Juan Cuadrado and Federico Chiesa. But Ronaldo’s contribution to Juve sealing a collective feat was colossal.

At 36, despite apparently losing the traditional pace down the flank and swiftness in his stepovers, Cristiano Ronaldo is agile at performing the most crucial thing in a game of football. While patrolling the 18-yard-box, Ronaldo can be lethal, as advertised in Juventus’ opening game of the 2021/22 season against Udinese.

He almost delivered Allegri his first competitive win in his renewed spell as the manager of Juventus on Sunday. It would’ve been 3-2 if the last-minute goal scored by Ronaldo hadn’t got chalked off by the VAR for offside. His appetite for seeing the ball bulge in the back of the net is unimaginable. Ronaldo remains hungry in front of the goal. Always motivated, he would like to strive hard and retain his Capocannoniere accolade this season.

With the signing of Manuel Locatelli and Paulo Dybala back to his full fitness, Ronaldo should be expecting more creativity from around the box. The boss knows that. Speaking at a press conference recently, the Juventus manager came to recognise what an asset the talisman could prove to be. He said (via Goal):

"“Ronaldo is an added bonus for us, because he guarantees a large number of goals. Obviously, we also have to work as a team to get the best out of an individual.”"

If the boss says so, who are we to question Ronaldo’s prowess? Nadie!