I spent last week in Italy and even though the Azzurri didn’t make it to the World Cup, the country is still gripped by all the goings on in Russia.

Yet there’s another story gripping the nation and that’s the possibility of Cristiano Ronaldo signing for Italian champions Juventus.

You’ll see Ronaldo’s image on all the Italian papers, websites and news channels as they discuss the potential deal. The market sellers are already trying to sell knock-off Juve shirts with CR 7 on the back.

What seemed like a fanciful story at the beginning has gained momentum and it now looks as though Real Madrid are ready to sell their prized asset. The latest rumours suggest that Juventus President Andrea Agnelli has arrived in Greece to meet the Portuguese superstar as they prepare to seal the deal.

For me, the move would make sense for all parties.

In history, most of the world’s best players have played in Serie A at some point in their careers. You’ve had Michel Platini, Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Jurgen Klinsmann, Gabriel Batistuta, George Weah, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane and Diego Maradona are just some of the huge names that have graced the Italian top flight.

This generation has seen Lionel Messi and Cristiano rise to the top and it looked as though neither would play in Italy. Now it looks as though Juve have managed to convince Ronaldo to join them, which once again highlights the importance of the Italian league.

Now signing a thirty-three year old for a fee of €100m (£88m) would usually be seen as a huge gamble. How can you recoup such a figure on a veteran?

Well Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t a normal player, he really is a global phenomenon.

Firstly, he’s still a world class footballer.

In his last four seasons at Real Madrid, the forward scored 198 goals in just 192 appearances for Los Blancos. Last term, he banged in forty-four strikes and also managed to provide eight assists for teammates.

The Champions League is a competition that Juve want to get their hands on again. In Ronaldo they’d be signing a serial European winner, he’s won the elite continental competition on five occasions. last term, the Real number seven lead the Champions League scoring charts with his fifteen goals.

He keeps himself fit, in the last four years he always managed at least forty-four appearances each term. The attacker has changed his game and is now more known for running less but for concentrating on making the right runs into the penalty area and finishing off chances!

Then we have the exposure that Ronaldo will bring to Juventus and the whole of Italian football.

The above image comes via La Gazzetta dello Sport and it highlights just what the Cristiano Ronaldo brand will bring to Italy. It shows that the player has 122.7m Facebook likes, in turn Juve have 32.7m and every team in Serie A put together still only has 88.2m.

The article also suggests that Ronaldo himself is worth around €92m only seven sides in the Italian top flight are worth more!

He would also create a big buzz in markets like Asia and America.

These figures show you just what Juventus/Italian football could make in terms of new sponsorship deals, TV rights and in merchandise and marketing if they had the Ronaldo name playing in Turin.

Obviously the player himself will command a huge wage and getting a big money making contract in your mid-thirties is a major factor for any footballer but I think the player will look beyond that as he weighs up his decision.

He’ll have a chance at winning more Champions League titles, he’ll experience another footballing culture and will play for yet another footballing giant. Plus if he signs for La Vecchia Signora he will get to play in an illustrious league that so many other top stars have in the past. It gives him a chance to win a league title in Italy, that will sit beside his league triumphs from Spain and England.

Italian football will suit his new football style and it could keep him at that elite level for longer.

I really can’t see any downsides.

The player would give Juve and the whole of Italian football a real boost and he’ll no doubt be re-energised by new goals and the chance of winning more silverware at another European super club.

His arrival in Italy could give Serie A a bit of a renaissance and I for one would support that wholeheartedly!

Posted on July 10th, 2018 by scott
Filed under: Article