After declaring that his move to Juventus in 2018 “revived” Serie A, Cristiano Ronaldo has received universal ridicule from fans.
In full pomposity mode, the 38-year-old claimed personal credit for the influx of players to Saudi Arabia before asserting that the Saudi Pro League was superior to the Major League Soccer in a not-so-subtle swipe at Lionel Messi, Inter Miami’s newest signing and his longtime adversary.
However, it was his boast about turning the fortunes of Italian football around that garnered the most ridicule, particularly as his arrival in Turin coincided with Juventus’ fall from grace.
“When I joined Juventus, Serie A was dead, and then after I signed it was revived.
“Wherever Cristiano goes he generates higher interest,” Ronaldo said speaking after a pre-season match against Celta Vigo on Monday.
Cristiano Ronaldo: “My decision to join Saudi clubs was 100% crucial to bring in new top players. It’s a fact”. 🇸🇦
“When I joined Juventus, Serie A was dead and then after I signed… it was revived. Wherever Cristiano goes he generates higher interest”. pic.twitter.com/LOMeUmx0FU
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 17, 2023
What Football Fans Said
In response, one fan tweeted: “Well he is right about one thing. When he joined Serie A it was dead and Juve had won 7 titles in a row. Thanks to him someone else won the league for a change.
Another wrote: “Yes, Cristiano. You’re right. You *did* revive Serie A. You made it competitive again by financially and tactically crippling Juve who, before you arrived, had a Bayern-like stranglehold on the title. Then, at the first sign of genuine hardship, you skedaddled. Nice one.”
“He’s not wrong tbf, he broke Juve’s winning steak not many can do that,” a third added.
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Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus for £100m in 2018, bringing his epic nine-year stint at the Bernabeu to a close.
He scored goals galore in Turin, bagging 101 in 134 matches, but was accused of making Juventus worse on the whole, particularly with his habit of refusing to contribute off the ball.
Similarly, Juventus won the league with 95 points in 2017/18, but their points total dropped to 90 in Ronaldo’s first season, and down again to 83 in his second.
In his third, they finished fourth on 78 points, and he left for Manchester United a few months later.
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