You’ve probably heard the whisper by now. Cristiano Ronaldo is “considering” a move to PSG this summer. It’s easy to disregard this piece of news and take it as media reaction to Juve bowing out of the Champions League to unexpected opposition.
Whether or not there is anything concrete to those rumors, a closer look suggests it might not be out of place for CR7 to look elsewhere (PSG). We’ll try to explain why.
It’s safe to say Ronaldo didn’t come to Juventus for this. Two years, 89 appearances, 65 goals, and 18 assists later, it seems like his decision to move to Turin has not yet paid off for the Portuguese superstar.
So far, he has two Serie A titles to his name which is good but then again, it was not the reason he was signed. €100M on a 33-year-old would be seen as ridiculous for a player except if the player is someone with the caliber of Cristiano Ronaldo.
A generational talent obsessed with goal-scoring and proven on the biggest of all stages. Juventus president Andrea Agnelli saw him as the final piece in the jigsaw puzzle in their search for that elusive Champions League title.
Reflecting on the above statement, have Juve actually done any better on the continental front in the past two years since that mega purchase? The answer is no. They haven’t even gone close.
Two knockout stage defeats in the Champions League seems to be a case of Ronaldo doing his part and the Bianconeri coming short.
Since his arrival, the forward has scored every single goal for the Old Lady in the knockout stages of the Champions League. It is obvious to see why Juve will normally count on him to come up with the goods in the clutch situations when it comes to goal-scoring. Rightly so, but at the end of the day, football is a team sport and his teammates have disappointed in the competition. In summary, Ronaldo hasn’t really made Juventus any “better.”
The defeat to a young and brilliant Ajax last season could have been acceptable but given how the Serie A title race went this season along with their team performances in general, it’s fair to say they just haven’t been good enough this season.
We probably weren’t so shocked to see Maurizio Sarri’s eventual sacking. But the decision that followed gave the football world many questions to answer.
Going into his third year with the club, Ronaldo will be under a third manager in Andrea Pirlo. A former Juventus legend who just a few days ago was Juventus’ U-23 coach. Though he has been given permission to coach, he hasn’t even completed his coaching badges and is an absolute novice in the managerial world. Yet again, will Ronaldo be willing to wait under a manager that could need time to implement his ideas? Maybe and maybe not. But at the age of 35, patience is not a virtue CR7 will have and his drive will be success (immediate one).
Moving further, financial constraints brought about by the global pandemic must have played a part in Juventus’ decision to make Pirlo their new manager but being a rookie and not too far in age from Ronaldo himself, it’s hard to imagine Ronaldo won’t be looking elsewhere.
Already reports via French outlet FootMercato have surfaced in the past few days that his representative, super-agent Jorge Mendes, is in talks with PSG over a move away from Turin.
Cristiano Ronaldo is considering leaving Juventus.
His agent, Jorge Mendes, will meet with #PSG sporting director Leonardo during the Champions League Final 8 in Lisbon.
(Foot Mercato)
— Robin Bairner (@RBairner) August 9, 2020
While these reports could just be rumors, there is no smoke without fire. The idea of joining a talented and exciting squad filled with world-class attacking talents like Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Angel Di Maria makes for a good prospect for Ronaldo. Similar to Juve, PSG need that final piece of the puzzle in their quest for Champions League glory and extra firepower in CR7 could yet come in handy.
From a financial standpoint, there are only very few clubs who can afford Ronaldo’s wages in this current climate and PSG will be considered one of them.
If he does consider leaving for Paris, President Nasser Al-Khelaifi has previously expressed his admiration for Ronaldo’s work ethic and desire to remain the best even at his age. His tally of 37 goals this season in all competitions still shows he is still incredibly potent in front of goal.
Though Andrea Agnelli says that Ronaldo will remain a Juventus player next season, there is a possibility he may pounce on the chance to move on to Paris in his quest for another European crown. There are not many ticks on the clock remaining. If he really has plans of leaving, there’s no better time than now.