Speculation on CR7’s future lifts Juve’s fortunes
Ronaldo linked with Serie A club
Milan – Shares in Juventus FC jumped almost 10% yesterday on the back of reports that Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo might soon join the Italian club.
For a second day running Juventus, Italy’s most successful football team, declined to comment on the reports.
Juventus shares were trading 9% higher. Over the past three days, shares in the club surged more than 20% in heavy trading, as speculation over a Ronaldo transfer mounted.
Several Italian newspapers said yesterday that Ronaldo’s agent was expected to meet Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to discuss the possible transfer.
Juventus won a seventh successive Serie A title in May, bringing their overall tally to a record 34 titles.
“It would be a big deal, increasing the team’s appeal and also because it would be bigger business for Juve, through merchandising,” a Milan-based trader said yesterday.
Ronaldo, who joined Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2008 for a then world record £80-million, is the Spanish club’s all-time top scorer with 451 goals in all competitions and has won two La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies with them.
Despite the glut of silverware, however, the five-time world player of the year has had frequent fallouts with Real and has declared on several occasions that he wants to leave the club.
Moments after lifting a third consecutive Champions League trophy by helping Real beat Liverpool 3-1 in the final on May 26, Ronaldo appeared to suggest he had already decided to leave, telling a television reporter on the pitch at Kiev’s NSC Olympic Stadium: “It was beautiful to play for Real Madrid.”
The 33-year-old appeared to backtrack on that statement during Real’s celebration parade through the Spanish capital the next day, when he told a mass of supporters: “See you next season.”
Real have not issued any statement about Ronaldo, although in the past few days they have issued statements denying reports they have made transfer bids for Paris St Germain forwards Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Ronaldo, Portugal’s most capped player and all-time leading scorer with 85 goals in 154 appearances, scored two goals against Juventus in Real’s 4-1 win in last year’s Champions League final.
He scored four goals in the World Cup, including a hattrick in a 3-3 draw with Spain, but missed a penalty in a 1-1 draw with Iran and could not prevent a secondround 2-1 defeat by Uruguay.