Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus Future Uncertain After CR7 Was Benched for Bianconeri’s Last Serie A 2020–2021 Match
Cristiano Ronaldo ended as the top scorer in the Serie A with 29 goals in 33 games and was named Juventus' 'Player of the Season' and 'MVP of the Year' awards. He also became the fastest Juventus player in history to score 100 goals that too in less than three seasons.
Amidst all the cheers and celebrations in the Juventus camp after they managed to clinch a Champions League berth, all might have seemed to go exactly how the former champions would have liked. But in all of that joy lay the prospect of the uncertainty of Cristiano Ronaldo, one of Juventus' main players, who has been heavily rumoured to leave the club in the transfer window. Juventus 4–1 Bologna Serie A 2020–21 Goal Video Highlights: Alvaro Morata Double Secures Champions League 2021-22 Spot for Bianconeri
One may call it a coincidence. Juventus' poor performance this season where they conceded the Scudetto to Inter, got knocked out of the Champions League and struggled to make the top four led to reports in the media surfacing that their talisman Ronaldo was all set for a transfer. A couple of possible destinations also emerged--Sporting Lisbon, his boyhood club and Manchester United, the place which made him the player he is known as, today.
With the summer transfer window approaching fast, the rumours about Ronaldo's transfer are surely heating up and gaining pace. Sporting president Frederico Varandas has said that it is destined that the Portuguese star would head back to Lisbon and play there "one day." With a year left on his Juventus contract and the Bianconeri failing to make a mark in European competition, that day might not be far away.
So how did Ronaldo fare this season? Simple. No matter how poor his side performed, the Portuguese star did what he does best. Top scorer in the Serie A with 29 goals in 33 games and named Juventus' 'Player of the Season' and 'MVP of the Year' awards--all of this just goes to show how special and impactful he truly is. Not to forget, recently, Ronaldo also became the fastest Juventus player in history to score 100 goals that too in less than three seasons. Cristiano Ronaldo Becomes Only Player to Finish as Top Scorer for a Season in Serie A, La Liga, and English Premier League
And when Andrea Pirlo decided to bench him for Juventus' all-important match against Bologna on Sunday, which they eventually won, did it signal the fact that the Bianconeri were looking at life beyond the five-time Ballon D'Or winner? When asked by reporters, he stated that Ronaldo was tired but also said that he had a deep squad from where he could pick a number of different players. Given the fact that they won without dropping a sweat, does that mean that we have seen Ronaldo for the last time in a Juventus shirt?
When Ronaldo had joined the Turin club in 2018, it was with the intention of winning the Champions League. But that hasn't yet been possible so far, with their best finish being the quarter-finals in the 2018-2019 season where they were defeated by Ajax. Poor performances in the Champions League--a competition that Ronaldo loves--can potentially lead to Ronaldo wanting out of Juventus this summer.
Although Ronaldo might show support for his club Juventus on Instagram by captioning their pictures "Fino Alla Fine" or "Until the end", it is no guarantee that the 36 year-old would stay back in Turin. Despite Pirlo showing support for Cristiano staying back with the Bianconeri, it is, again, not a guaranteed propostion.
Would Ronaldo really leave Juventus this summer?
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2021 05:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).