Leaving Real Madrid for Juventus was an easy choice
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| The Portuguese superstar has reiterated that it was a childhood dream of his to represent the Bianconeri, with a €100m transfer making that possible |
Cristiano Ronaldo says it was “an easy decision” to swap
life at Real Madrid for that at Juventus, with a €100 million (£89m/$114m)
transfer allowing him to fulfil a childhood dream.
Having broken countless records over the course of nine
years in the Spanish capital, the Portuguese superstar has opted to take on a
new challenge this summer.
He is 33
years of age, but has shown no sign of slowing down as he chases down a sixth
Ballon d’Or crown and another FIFA Best prize.
It could
be that those awards are secured as a Bianconeri player, with Ronaldo claiming
that he needed little persuading to move to Italy once interest from Turin
materialised.
He told
JuventusTV after linking up with his new team-mates for pre-season training:
“Great club, first of all it is a great club. Since I was a kid, I looked at
this team and said I hope to play there one day. Now I will play for a
fantastic club, one of the biggest clubs in the world. I’m happy.
“I don’t
have a precise moment when I decided. During the years, we played a few times
against Juve and I had a special feeling that the Italian supporters like
Cristiano.
“It’s
the biggest club in Italy, one of the best in the world, so it was an easy
decision, as Juve are an unbelievable club.”
Ronaldo
also reiterated that his desire to represent Juve grew on the back of the
appreciation shown to him by the club’s supporters after he netted a stunning
overhead kick in a Champions League quarter-final clash in Turin last season.
He added: “Unbelievable. I remember every
day, that never happened to me before. In the Champions League against Juve, a
quarter-final, you score a goal and see everyone in the stadium applaud you. It
was an unbelievable feeling.
“I felt
surprised at the beginning. I am used to following Juve and I like the club,
but since that moment I liked them even more. I won’t say it was the key point
in my decision, but every detail helps. Maybe. Of course, it helps when you see
the people like you, the supporters and club like you, the feeling is
completely different.
“I have
to say thank you to all of them for the support. My priority is to do my best,
be professional, try to make the team even better. That is my job, I’ll try to
enjoy it as much as I can and make Juventus even better.
“My
first goal will happen in a natural way, I’m not thinking about that. I know
that I will be prepared, I’ll be ready, but my first goal doesn’t matter. I
just want to be ready.
“I want
to be in good shape, help the team, win trophies – that is what I’m looking
for.”
Ronaldo
has been at the top of the world game for over a decade now, but feels there is
still plenty for him to achieve as he prepares to open an exciting new chapter.
He
added: “I don’t know, maybe it’ll be different here in this club. So far, I
feel the people at the club are different, they are nice and like a family. The
supporters are the same.
“I’m
excited and of course I want to make them happy. I’ve been a professional for
15-16 years, so my method is always the same. I played for many years at
Manchester United and Real Madrid, now is a new adventure, but I want to always
keep the same working method and ethic, helping the team to achieve our goals.”
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