NEW KING OF TURIN
Swagger and stardust, chest puffed out, a blur of flashing cameras, the world’s finest footballer holds court
A strike was called at Fiat over the Ronaldo deal but turnout was just 0.3 per cent
THE Old Lady of Turin now has her mature gentleman. As Cristiano Ronaldo took his seat amid a blur of flashing cameras and twitching smartphones, he momentarily glanced backwards and smiled.
This was the world’s greatest footballer in his element and the message was clear. The World Cup is over, so all eyes are on Ronaldo once more.
Juventus made an almighty fuss of their new man, with his chest puffed-out, arms stretched-wide celebration mocked up as a silhouette on canvases inside and outside the Allianz Stadium. The club launched the social media hashtag #CR7DAY to mark his unveiling.
Ronaldo has already claimed the No 7 shirt he wore with distinction at Real Madrid and Manchester United, with Juan Cuadrado swiftly conceding the jersey to the new king of Turin.
After landing into Turin’s Caselle airport by private jet on Sunday, the euphoria began in earnest yesterday morning. As Ronaldo arrived at the club’s on-site facility to complete a medical, he was greeted by thousands of supporters. He stopped to sign photographs for young children and broke out into his own howls of ‘Juve, Juve!’
The more sanguine Italian journalists did privately question the wisdom of a four-year contract reportedly worth £500,000-perweek and the move has not been greeted by glee in all quarters.
The Juventus hierarchy became concerned last week when a strike was called by a union of workers at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in protest at the numbers involved. Both Juventus and Fiat Chrysler are run by the Agnelli family, who have committed £100million to this transfer, with an extra £200m to be invested in Ronaldo’s salary.
The USB Union said last week: ‘It is unacceptable that, while FCA workers continue to make economic sacrifices, the company spends hundreds of millions on the purchase of a player.’
Yet when the strike transpired in the last two days, turnout came in at only 0.3 per cent of the 1,700 workforce. Certainly there was swagger and stardust yesterday. As glamorous ladies served drinks and canapés for media representatives from over 30 different countries, this was a family affair for Ronaldo. His angelic son Cristiano Jnr sat on the front row, dressed in daddy’s new jersey, besides the agent Jorge Mendes and Ronaldo’s girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez. At the club’s store, replica jerseys sold at a rate of one a minute last week and the turnover yesterday seemed equally relentless. An adult Juventus shirt with Ronaldo’s name set supporters back in excess of €100 while the full kit for a toddler came in at a similar amount. Such sights usually trigger laments for a bygone era but the mania is such that few appeared to care. Similarly, any discontent over a 30 per cent rise in season-ticket prices also swiftly disappeared with news of Ronaldo’s transfer.
This is a statement signing by Juventus. It has been a long wait. The club first made a move for Ronaldo (left) in 2002 but could not persuade striker Marcelo Salas to head to Sporting Lisbon in return. Alex Ferguson intervened a year later.
Yet Real Madrid consider this spectacular business of their own. They bought Ronaldo for £80m nine years ago from Manchester United and he has returned a financial transfer profit in addition to 451 goals and four Champions League titles.
Ronaldo is 33 but says he has a biological age of 23 and insists he will play on for his country. He scored 28 goals between late January and the middle of May, including three against Paris SaintGermain, three against Juventus, plus goals against Atletico Madrid and Barcelona in Spain.
For Portugal, he scored a hat-
trick against Spain’s David de Gea at the World Cup and also recorded the fastest sprint of any player in Russia. The last time he appeared at this stadium, he scored the spell-binding overhead kick to floor Gianluigi Buffon and earn a standing ovation from opposing fans. Simply put, there are no palpable signs of his powers waning.
‘I’m different to all the others who go to China or Qatar at my age,’ said Ronaldo. ‘I am different. I will try and show I am a top player. You all know my statistics. I’m ambitious. I don’t want to be in a comfort zone. After Manchester United and Real Madrid, I’d now like to leave my mark on the history of Juventus. It was difficult in Manchester United and Real Madrid to win the Ballon d’Or but I want to be the best. Maybe I can do it again.’
They were bold words but who would bet against him? As Ryan Giggs pointed out this week, Ronaldo knows that cracking a third major league would give him another nudge ahead of great rival Lionel Messi.
Juventus believe the investment will provide returns both on and off the pitch. For an idea of his allure, we need only note that the club’s share price rocketed 33 per cent when speculation of his transfer began. His combined social media following of 330.5m is six times that of US President Donald Trump.
Ronaldo talked up the prestige of this famous club, seeking to end their 23-year wait for a Champions League trophy, but the more cynical view is that the forward may also have ulterior motives for moving to Italy.
Ronaldo has been embroiled in a tax fraud case in Spain, with unconfirmed reports last month stating that he agreed to pay an £18.8m fine.
The Italian fiscal system is more appealing, as a new law caps tax on income generated from abroad at £88,000 per year for residents who have paid taxes in other countries for nine of the last ten years. More star names are expected in Italy, with Karim Benzema closing on a transfer to Napoli.
The truth of Ronaldo’s personal motivations may never be known. But we do know that his fierce competitive courage remains.
‘I want to be an example as a player and a man,’ he said. ‘I want to help the young players here. It’s a shining moment in my career.’