Ronaldo paying Juventus back with goals galore

TURIN: If you can’t beat him, buy him.

The US$131mil (RM536mil) that Juventus spent to lure Cristiano Ronaldo away from Real Madrid is already paying off on the field and off it.

Ronaldo scored a hattrick against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, giving the Italian team the three goals they needed to overturn a 2-0 loss from the first leg.

The win earned Juventus a spot in the quarter-finals, worth at

€16mil least (RM74mil) from UEFA and ticket sales.

“That’s why Juventus signed me,” said Ronaldo, who has scored 24 goals this season.

“I do my job and I’m very happy. It’s been a magical night.”

The Portugal forward was brought in to help Juventus finally win the Champions League again after some tough losses to Real Madrid, a team at the time led by none other than Ronaldo.

His goals against his old team on Tuesday have already proved historic.

The result led Juventus back from a two-goal loss in the first leg for the first time in club history.

The victory also helped boost Juventus’ share price on Wednesday morning.

The rise was so sharp that trading on it had to be temporarily halted after opening on the Italian Stock Exchange with a 23% increase on Tuesday’s closing price.

That same stock market had taken a hit three weeks ago, with the club’s share price dropping more than 9% after their 2-0 loss in Madrid.

Juventus’ presence in the quarter-finals and the manner in which they qualified will also boost their coffers in a way that is hard to quantify: Brand improvement.

That is something Juventus have been working on for several years and which included the changing of the club logo and the signing of Ronaldo, which increased their following on social media by tens of millions.

This season, Juventus have

€94mil already received (RM435mil) from UEFA and that

€130mil could rise to almost (RM601mil) if the Italian team win their third European Cup – and first since 1996.

That figure doesn’t include ticket sales.

€5.5mil Juventus made a record (RM25mil) on Tuesday from gate receipts, including hospitality.

That beat the previous mark of €5mil

(RM23mil) from their 2-1 loss to Manchester United earlier in the season.

And that will likely be surpassed no matter who they meet at the Allianz Stadium for the quarter-finals.

Ronaldo hasn’t had the easiest time off the field after being accused of rape in the United States, but his influence on the field cannot be overestimated.

Just look at Real Madrid, who had won the last three Champions League titles with Ronaldo but couldn’t even reach the quarter-finals this year without him. — AP