Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Juventus with an overriding sense of unfulfillment

Ajax. Lyon. Porto. That’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus legacy.

Now, that might seem incredibly harsh on a player who became the fastest ever Juventus player to 100 goals and was instrumental in two more Scudetti triumphs amid the Bianconeri’s tyrannical reign over Calcio in the 2010s.

For almost every other player it would be. But not in this case.

When Fabio Paratici engineered the monster €100m move for the all-time great in 2018, it was for the sole purpose of returning Juventus to the summit of European football. To win the Champions League for the first time since 1996. It was a feat they came close to repeating in 2015 and 2017 under Massimiliano Allegri and Ronaldo’s purchase was the final gamble in the Juventus hierarchy’s ego-driven assault for continental supremacy.

But they never got close.

Oh, and it started with so much promise. So much. A vintage hat-trick to haunt Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid to turn around a 2-0 first-leg deficit and send Juve through to the quarter-finals of the 2018/19 competition handed Paratici & co almost immediate vindication. But, the divine figure that manifested against Los Rojiblancos was helpless, powerless as Erik ten Hag’s babyfaces picked apart an ageing Bianconeri to stun a bewildered Allianz Stadium. The defeat, a considerable humiliation at the time despite the brilliance of a young Ajax side, proved fatal for Allegri.

Then came Maurizio Sarri. Then came Lyon. A side languishing in seventh in Ligue 1 at the time.

Disjointed, dysfunctional and bereft of any midfield influence, Juventus succumbed to a 1-0 defeat in the round of 16 first leg. Ronaldo would score twice in the return leg, but Memphis Depay’s away goal proved decisive, sending Lyon through. Time was running out in Juventus’ financially crippling gamble.

Expectations were certainly tempered in Ronaldo’s third season at the club. His output remained unquestionable, but the Bianconeri appeared nothing more than a major work in progress under the tutelage of novice manager Andrea Pirlo. Nevertheless, Porto were expected to be bypassed with aplomb in the first knockout phase.

However, this seemingly innate and perpetual sense of superiority that the Bianconeri possess, embodied by those that pull the club’s strings, would once again come back to bite them. Porto would advance at a dismal Juve’s expense across a thrilling two legs. This time, for the first time, Ronaldo’s big-game capacity was scrutinised. The clutch gene that had served as the ultimate legacy-enhancer had finally escaped him on the grandest stage. He looked mortal, human, a shadow of the inevitable great that spearheaded Real Madrid’s four Champions League triumphs between 2014 and 2018. On this occasion, Ronaldo’s defining moment wasn’t a gravity-defying header nor an iconic shirt dismissal and abdominal flex, but a tame attempt to block a free-kick.

And that was that.

"“Juventus have gone from a team on the cusp to a confused rabble in thrall to the very specific playing style required of the gleaming superstar.” – Football 365’s Dave Tickner in the aftermath of the defeat to Porto."

Now, Juventus’ failure to win Europe’s premier competition cannot be pinpointed solely on Ronaldo, as messianic as he was viewed. The reality is, Juventus never really had a team capable of competing – let alone winning – for the ultimate club prize in the two years that followed Allegri. However, it was Ronaldo’s transfer fee and, more significantly, his €31m-a-year salary that prevented the Bianconeri from building a coherent unit.

Thus, dysfunction tainted both Sarri’s and Pirlo’s spells. The club’s obvious identity shift came at the wrong time. The addition of Ronaldo was as obvious a win-now signing as you’re ever likely to find, but the club hired a pair of ‘project’, idealogical coaches in the wake of Allegri’s exit. One of whom had won one major trophy in his entire managerial career, while the other had as much experience in senior football management as me before his appointment.

However, as much as you can attribute Juve’s ‘decline’ to poor coaching, there’s little doubting that Ronaldo, too, made Juventus a poorer team. No, I don’t care that he scored a hat-trick against Cagliari. Overall, it was incredibly difficult to build a team around a 36-year-old goal machine who contributed little in almost every other aspect.

That’s why Juve and Allegri didn’t resist Ronaldo’s desire to leave. It’s time for the club to head into a new era with the returning boss at the helm. Perhaps a more distinct identity can be crafted, Paulo Dybala can finally sign his new contract and more money can be invested into building a complete Juventus team. Not one that merely functions to service a demising superstar.

Nevertheless, the Cristiano Ronaldo era is one that Juventini will look back on fondly. The commercial success, goals and domestic titles are undeniable, but the club’s failure to even come close to achieving their ultimate goal means he leaves the club with an overriding sense of unfulfillment.

The time was right for all parties to move on.