“It was nice to play for Real Madrid,” Cristiano Ronaldo said in May 2018 on the grass of the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, just moments after lifting his fifth Champions League trophy.Just a few weeks later, Cristiano signed a contract with Juventus in a € 117,000,000 transfer and opened a new chapter in his career. After dominating Manchester United and Real Madrid, the Portuguese was ready to bring the Ol’ Big Ears to Turin after more than two decades of waiting. Not long after, he defeated that same Juventus in the final (4-1) when he acrobatically sent the ball into the net with surgical precision.That day remained a bad memory for Giorgio Chiellini, who later became one of Cristiano’s closest teammates in the Old Lady outfit. In an interview for a local podcast, he talked about the time when the Portuguese arrived in Turin and how he wanted to show the leaders of Real Madrid out of anger that they were wrong to sell him.”His character in difficult times impressed me. In his first year at Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo had a mad desire to prove that he was stronger than Real Madrid,” Chiellini told The BSMT Podcast.##NAJAVA_MECA_8079478##The season was such that Juventus had perhaps the best chance to claim the European title, although in the end it all ended with elimination from Ajax already in the quarter-finals.”We were unlucky with injuries and that defeat against Ajax really shook us. If we had beaten Ajax and reached the final, Ronaldo would have led us to the title.”Chiellini does not hide that the years have slowly taken their toll on Cristiano’s game, but that this is not the main reason why Juventus still has not lifted the curse that has lasted for almost three decades now.”In the following season, his quality declined, he became older and could no longer carry the team on his back. He was the cherry on top of the cake, but he was missing a bigger cake.”Chiellini:”Cristiano never lets you down when you need him.” pic.twitter.com/3x1Tu8RifK— MIGOSI (@Dmigosi_M) May 3, 2024 Despite this, Cristiano ended his stay at Juventus with two Scudettos, two Italian Super Cups and one Cup. He scored 101 goals in 134 games and became the 14th most efficient scorer in the club’s history.”We appreciated his effort and commitment. He is a multinational player, but he fit in well with the team. He is not like others and he can’t be. You couldn’t ask him to go and grab a bite in the city, but when he was on the field he never let you down. Not even at team dinners. He had respect for everyone, he was obsessed with taking care of his body and how to preserve it as long as possible. Even today, he wants to score goals, win and conquer. It was an honor to be his captain at Juventus and to have lived part of my career with such a champion,” said Chiellini.
