Revealed: ‘Mad desire’ involving Real Madrid that fuelled Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus – with Portuguese becoming a 100-goal star for Serie A giants

The Blancos did not force the five-time Ballon d’Or winner out of Santiago Bernabeu and were a little surprised to see him leave for Turin in the summer of 2018. The money on offer could not be turned down, though, while CR7 was willing to take on another challenge.

Ronaldo would go on to spend three years with Juventus, registering over 100 goals while helping them to two Serie A titles. The all-time great was never going to take his foot off the gas in Italy, with relentless ambition ensuring that he is always striving for perfection.

Chiellini claims that Ronaldo was determined to get a message across to those in Spain when he joined the Bianconeri, telling the BSMT podcast of what drove the Portugal international to perform at his best: “In his first year at Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo had a mad desire to prove that he was stronger than Real Madrid.”

Ronaldo hit 28 goals in his debut campaign with Juve, and went on to record 37 and 36 in the next two seasons respectively. He left for Manchester United in 2021 and is currently showing no sign of slowing down at the age of 39 with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr – with the target being found on 47 occasions this season.