Cristiano Ronaldo Is Leaving Real Madrid for Juventus
Today, Belgium plays France in the highly anticipated semifinals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Yet all the soccer world is talking about today is Cristiano Ronaldo’s blockbuster move from Spanish giant Real Madrid to Juventus in Italy. Ronaldo, after all, held the Ballon d'Or five times (tied for the most ever with Lionel Messi), graced the covers of glossy magazines, has probably dated more supermodels than there are days in a year, and won nearly every major trophy that’s been created to honor the best players and teams in the world’s most popular sport. He also has a nice smile.
In 2009, when Cristiano Ronaldo left England to play for Real Madrid, it was a seismic shift in the world of soccer. Fans of the beautiful game knew that they’d reap the benefits of watching Messi and Ronaldo, the two best players in the world, duking it out in La Liga each season—and that's exactly what happened. Both players pushing each other to become better than they otherwise could have been.
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And after a decade of near-perfect soccer with Real Madrid, it seemed inevitable that Ronaldo would leave the club after his former coach and international legend Zinedine Zidane announced his departure from the team a few days after their third UEFA Champions League victory in May. (Zidane will likely go on to coach the French national team sometime in the coming years.)
There is a compelling argument that has been made that Ronaldo is the best player in the history of soccer. He won the European Championship two years ago with Portugal (a feat his former coach Zidane labeled the hardest competition to win in soccer), and he has won several Premier League titles during his brilliant stint with Manchester United, plus several more La Liga titles while manhandling the competition with Real Madrid. He won the illustrious UEFA Champions League trophy with Manchester United and with Real Madrid. But he never has—and likely never will—win a World Cup trophy. And this last fact is what may have made him head for the shores of Italy.
Juventus hasn’t won a UEFA Champions League trophy (the equivalent of a World Cup trophy for club soccer) since 1996. That is an eternity for a soccer-rich nation, and an immensely proud team such as Juventus. And that’s exactly what Ronaldo, the player and the brand, will bring to the Italian club. It’s a perfect match for both sides. Juventus will have a legitimate chance to win their coveted trophy, while for Ronaldo, it's an opportunity to add some color to his great mosaic of a career—a final statement (three league titles and three UEFA titles in three different leagues) to cap his fairy tale story from the small hills of Madeira to the top of the soccer world.
What many are wondering is what to expect from the 33-year-old Ronaldo when he arrives at Juventus in August. Well, we all remember what he did the last time he was there.
