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

Former Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta has revealed why he “didn’t agree” with the club splashing out €100 million (£86m/$107m) on Cristiano Ronaldo.

WHAT HAPPENED?
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.

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WHAT MAROTTA SAID ABOUT RONALDO
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.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
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.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?
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.

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