Ronaldo set for Serie A debut as Italy mourn Genoa disaster
Star to start for Juventus on national mourning day amid hopes that his presence will boost Italian football
MILAN: Cristiano Ronaldo will make his much-anticipated Serie A debut for Juventus who open their campaign for an eighth straight Italian league title on Saturday against a sombre backdrop of a country in mourning following the Genoa bridge disaster.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was the star signing of the summer season arriving amid great pomp and ceremony following a 100 million euro (USD 117 million) deal from Real Madrid.
But it could be a low-key start for the 33-year-old Portuguese superstar against minnows Chievo in Verona’s Stadio Bentegodi on Saturday on a day of national mourning for the victims of the Morandi bridge tradegy in the north-western port city.
EMOTIONAL IMPACT
The emotional impact of the disaster has led to the postponement of Serie A games involving local teams Sampdoria and Genoa who had been due to open their campaigns against Fiorentina and AC Milan.
But all other games will go ahead starting on Saturday -- the day of the 38 victims’ funerals -with last season’s top two teams Juventus and Napoli in action.
A minute’s silence will be held before each match with the players taking to the pitch wearing black armbands.
Much is expected of Ronaldo’s presence in the Italian league this season after the low of Italy missing out on qualifying for the World Cup in Russia.
“He’s going to raise the level of the championship,” said Italian football legend Dino Zoff.
“Everyone can benefit. With Ronaldo all eyes will be on us and Serie A can regain ground. His purchase will result in the arrival of other big names to Serie A.”
Midfielder Sami Khedira said he was eager to play alongside Ronaldo again, and forget his own dire World Cup campaign where Germany crashed out in the group stage.
“I can’t wait to start the new season, and it’s also fantastic to be able to play with Ronaldo again after the time we shared together at Real Madrid,” Khedira said on Instagram. “Despite the excitement for the new season though, this was one of the most difficult summers of my career.
“After a good season at Juventus in which I scored nine goals, I played my two worst games at the World Cup and it was awful.”
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri warned his team not to rely too much on the Portuguese superstar as they target an eighth straight Serie A title.
“It’s time to put aside the excitement of the arrival of great players and the greatest of all, we have to keep our feet on the ground, keep a low profile,” continued Allegri. “We mustn’t make the mistake of thinking that we can win because we have Cristiano. He’s an added value in a team that has played two Champions finals in the last four years.”
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has appeared in two warm-up friendlies for Juventus but did not travel with the team to the United States.
“I didn’t give Ronaldo any advice. He’s very intrigued to understand how teams play in Italy,” said Allegri as Juventus begin their campaign on Saturday.
“Ronaldo will make his debut. (Wojciech) Szczesny, (Giorgio) Chiellini, (Leonardo) Bonucci and (Miralem) Pjanic will play and the two full-backs on each side will be (Joao) Cancelo and Alex Sandro. Everyone is in good condition, even (Mario) Mandzukic and (Blaise) Matuidi, who both went all the way to the final in the World Cup.”
ANCELOTTI RETURNS
Napoli turn back to their quest for a first title since the days of Argentine star Diego Maradona in 1987 and 1990 after pushing Juventus to the line last season.
After claiming a record 91 points for a league runner-up, Maurizio Sarri exited the club for Chelsea with Italian Carlo Ancelotti making his return to Serie A for the first time in nearly a decade. The much-travelled Italian arrives in Naples boasting three Champions League trophies from his spells with AC Milan and Real Madrid, and a Premier League title from his stint at Chelsea.
Eusebio di Francesco’s Roma -- third last season -- travel to Torino with Inter Milan, who also qualified for the Champions League visiting Sassuolo on Sunday, as Bologna and SPAL, who both survived at the death last season going head to head in a bid to start the season on a positive note.
› With Ronaldo all eyes will be on us and Serie A can regain ground. His purchase will result in the arrival of other big names to Serie A. DINO ZOFF, Italy football legend
› I can’t wait to start the new season, and it’s also fantastic to be able to play with Ronaldo again after the time we shared together at Real Madrid. SAMI KHEDIRA, Juventus player