'I didn’t agree with signing Cristiano Ronaldo' - Ex-Juventus CEO Beppe Marotta explains why €100m CR7 transfer was so 'demanding'

The Portuguese superstar completed a shock switch to Turin in the summer of 2018. Having become Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer across nine memorable years at Santiago Bernabeu, Ronaldo opted to take on a new challenge in Italy.

Not everybody was on board with that decision, with Marotta – who parted ways with Juve a matter of months after a stunning transfer was pushed through – telling DAZN: “I must recognise that I spent 10 wonderful years at Juventus, but when the owners want to adopt a different strategy, then a manager must take a step back. It was fair to respect the club’s desire. I partially didn’t agree with signing Ronaldo. The player can’t be questioned, but the deal was demanding in financial terms. It was not the element that brought the splitting; the cycle was over, and we had to change.”

Marotta has previously admitted that five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo was “challenging” to work with at Juventus, telling Cronache di Spogliatoio: “He was a very good player, he still is and above all he is a great champion. The champion is that person who manages to convey beliefs to his team-mates. He was a bit of a leader of the team, he was the most famous and he dragged the others into the game. So, it was challenging, but he didn’t make me angry.”

Ronaldo spent three years with the Bianconeri, winning two Serie A titles and scoring 101 goals, before returning to Manchester United in 2021. He is now on the books of Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and is still going strong at 39 years of age.