Cristiano Ronaldo today completed a sensational move to Juventus, joining from Real Madrid for a Serie A record fee of €105m.
When the potential transfer was first revealed on the front page of Tuttosport it was widely dismissed, so how did the move go from fantasy football to the deal of the century?
Cristiano Ronaldo today completed a sensational move to Juventus, joining from Real Madrid for a Serie A record fee of €105m.
When the potential transfer was first revealed on the front page of Tuttosport it was widely dismissed, so how did the move go from fantasy football to the deal of the century?
January 2018 – Real Madrid lower the release clause
At some time in the winter, it’s believed that Real Madrid struck a gentleman’s agreement with CR7 that he could leave for €100m, rather than his €1bn release clause, as long as he didn’t join a direct rival.
That wasn’t something that the Portuguese wanted though, and indeed it appears he took it as a sign that the club didn’t want him.
April 3 – Juventus Stadium stands for Ronaldo
On April 3, Juventus were pushing hard to equalise at home to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Ronaldo laid a ball back for Lucas Vázquez, but it was beaten away by Gianluigi Buffon.
The Bianconeri couldn’t clear though, and the ball found its way to Dani Carvajal on the right flank. The full-back dinked a ball into the box, and Ronaldo met it with a sensational overhead kick.
Despite the fact he had just put their side 2-0 down, the Juve supporters rose as one to applaud the stunning strike, and CR7 appeared genuinely humbled.
Was that the moment he first considered a move to Turin?
May 26 – “It’s been nice playing for Madrid…”
Real Madrid’s triumph over Liverpool in May’s Champions League final was their third in a row, and the fifth of Ronaldo’s career.
Speaking to BeIn Sport after the final whistle though, the Portuguese superstar made some odd comments on his future.
“It was very nice to be at Real Madrid,” Ronaldo said. “In the coming days I will talk about it more.”
July 1 – Tuttosport breaks the story
At the start of this month, Turin’s sports daily Tuttosport claimed that Jorge Mendes was working on a deal to take Ronaldo to Juve, after the signing of Joao
Cancelo.
The story was easily dismissed, as the newspaper had previously linked the Old Lady to the likes of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
July 3 – The story spreads
By July the though the story had gained traction though, with Marca reporting on its front page that negotiations were well underway.
Soon reports in Italy stated that a €30m contract had been agreed, with Juve’s parent company Exor to provide sponsorships to spread the financial burden.
All that remained was to see whether Real Madrid President Florentino Perez would stick to the €100m price tag…
July 9 – Juventus make the offer
Yesterday it was reported that Mendes had officially presented the Bianconeri offer to Real Madrid, with a meeting scheduled for today to find out if it would be accepted.
Today – Mendes meets Madrid
Jorge Mendes met with Los Merengues today, before informing Juventus that their bid would be accepted.
Today – Agnelli flies to Greece
This morning Juventus President Andrea Agnelli was pictured at Pisa airport, boarding a private jet bound for Greece.
Given that Ronaldo was on holiday in the country, it soon became clear that the patron was flying out to seal the deal.
Today – Ronaldo is a Juventus player
Finally, late this afternoon, Real Madrid released a statement confirming that Cristiano Ronaldo will sign for Juventus.
"Real Madrid CF communicates that, in response to the will and request expressed by the player Cristiano Ronaldo, he has agreed to transfer to Juventus FC," the Champions League holders confirmed.
"Today, Real Madrid wants to express its gratitude to a player who has proved to be the best in the world and who has marked one of the brightest times in the history of our club and world football.
“Beyond the titles won, the trophies and the triumphs achieved on the playing field during these nine years, Cristiano Ronaldo has been an example of dedication, work, responsibility, talent and improvement.
“He has also become the top scorer in the history of Real Madrid with 451 goals in 438 games. In total 16 titles, including four Champions Leagues, three of them consecutive and four in the last five seasons.
“On an individual basis, with the Real Madrid jersey he has won four Ballon d’Ors, two The Best, and three Gold Boots, among many other awards.
“For Real Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo will always be one of his great symbols and a unique reference for the next generations.
“Real Madrid will always be your home.”