Are Juventus right to gamble on Cristiano Ronaldo?
Juventus, in the last 15 years, has been the biggest team in Italy by a significant margin. Ever since recovering from the match-fixing scandal, they have dominated Serie A as well as making great strides in Europe, making it to the Champions League Final in 2015 and again in 2017, only to be denied by Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid. Now, however, Juventus are pulling out all of the stops in an attempt to sign the five-time Champions League winner Ronaldo, selling numerous star players in an attempt to raise funds for the move to go ahead. My main question concerning this move, is he actually worth it?
Now, there is absolutely no doubt that Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world. He is a proven goalscorer, technically incredible and has proven himself on the big stage time and again. On the other hand, this quality comes at a price. Juventus are widely reported to have put in a £88 million bid in for the Portuguese star, and the Italian team is likely to have to sell some major assets in order to balance this figure. On top of that, Ronaldo's wages are reported by the Evening Standard to be around £400,000 per week on a four-year contract at Juventus, making him by far the Serie A's best-paid player ever.
Along with this story, the media has confirmed departures from Turin. Experienced and consistent goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, as well as utility player Kwadwo Asamoah, have both posted on social media stating that they are leaving the club, this in addition to Stephan Lichtsteiner moving to Arsenal. On the rumor front, departure stories are coming from every area of the pitch. Several outlets are linking striker Gonzalo Higuain to Chelsea, to potentially link up with his former boss Maurizio Sarri. According to the Metro, Manchester United are interested in bringing in Mario Manzukic and Alex Sandro. Furthermore, Paulo Dybala and Mialem Pjanic have uncertain futures at the club, with Italian journalist Tancredi Palmeri tweeting
"Juve have approved the plan to sell Higuain and Dybala to make room in their budget. Pjanic could stay if Fiat sponsors Cristiano. TONIGHT meeting Florentino-Mendes"
In brighter news, Juventus have already signed Emre Can and Mattia Perin, and the club is clearly happy to go through major adaptations in order to maintain success at the top level of Italian football.
Reality though is transferring out amazing players such as Dybala, Higuian, and Alex Sandro. Ronaldo is truly one of the greatest to ever play the game and should not be underrated as his fitness is impeccable, but even the long-lasting outfield players are way past their prime at 36. In the next two seasons, Ronaldo will reach this age, and with his pace naturally diminishing, he surely cannot have the same impact on the pitch that he has now. If Ronaldo cannot find his form quickly in Italy, Juventus could have very little returns.
By trying to push this through, Juventus are willing to gamble that Cristiano Ronaldo will be able to bring 'the Old Lady' a Champions League trophy in the next two seasons. They are accepting the sale of some of their best players to do so. Despite his incredibly high wages and transfer fee, Ronaldo will bring in an incredible amount of revenue and hype to Juventus, as he is truly a superstar on and off the field. Nevertheless, the Juventus board will be hoping the attacker brings instant success for the club, as this deal is a gamble on short-term success. Ronaldo is unlikely to be a consistent force on the field for more than the next three seasons. If he fails to elevate the club to European success in that time, it could be considered a mistake selling many stars on their current roster.
However, the omens are good for Juventus, as some of their older players have brought great success in the past. Pirlo, Buffon, and Nedved still achieved great things in their final years at the club. Allegri and his team will hope to the same from Ronaldo, in order to justify the massive overhaul of the squad to sign him.