Updated: 6 Jun 2026 12:50 BST |
4 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo may be one of the most decorated and successful footballers of all time, holding the club scoring record for Real Madrid, but the appeal of the former Manchester United attacker has not always been universal.
Ronaldo, 41, is chasing 1000 career goals while in the Saudi Pro League Al-Nassr and is expected to spearhead Portugal’s challenge at the 2026 World Cup, but one of the biggest transfers of his career was met with significant resistance behind the scenes.
Indeed, the blockbuster €117m transfer that took him to Juventus was subject to a protest from CEO Beppe Marotta, who has hinted that the owners drove through the deal regardless of his opinion.
“I was not in agreement on the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, but my time at Juventus did not end because of that,” he said. “When the ownership takes a step forward, the manager must take a step back.”
Although Juve enjoyed some iconic moments with Ronaldo, most notably his famous headed goal against Sampdoria, they should have listened to their former chief.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus legacy: 101 goals and the €112m financial burden
Ronaldo’s move to Juventus is one of the most ambitious transfers ever.
His departure from Real Madrid came as something of a shock given his nine-year history at the club, but the outlay for the Serie A side was enormous, both in terms of his transfer fee and his wages.
On the field, Ronaldo’s personal performance was impressive as he became the first player in Juventus’ storied history to score 100 goals for the club, but the impact on the team was not nearly so spectacular. Across his three seasons in Turin, Juve were eliminated from the Champions League by Ajax, Lyon and Porto.
Juventus’ iron grip on the Serie A title also loosened, with a historic 10th title denied in CR7’s final year of the club.
But the real legacy that Ronaldo left in Turin was the immense financial burden of the deal, which contributed to a difficult economic situation for the club that is still felt.
Juve recorded a €199m loss in the 2023/24 financial year and are still trying to recover.
Selling Ronaldo to Manchester United for just €17m in 2021 in a staggering €100m loss on his transfer fee did little to help the situation.
Consultancy firm KPMG concluded on the move: “Besides the financial risk consciously undertaken by the club, the history of Ronaldo in Turin could also be characterised by unfortunate timing. While it is evident that Juventus FC managed to increase their commercial revenues and international appeal, it is equally apparent that their expansion strategy was aborted by the eruption of the global health crisis, which prevented the club from fully capitalising on the hefty investment.”
Juventus may well have been better served by listening to Marotta’s words of caution. The excitement that Ronaldo brought to Turin over three years might not have been part of the club’s history, but they would likely be Serie A’s dominant force and still a team to be reckoned with in Europe.
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