Cristiano Ronaldo news: “It's annoying that every year I have to prove that I'm very good” Juventus star hits out at constant criticism
What's the story?
Cristiano Ronaldo has finally hit out at his critics, stating that the constant nitpicking by them throughout this season is getting on his nerves.
The 34-year-old star forward was interviewed by the ICON Magazine from Spanish paper El Pais after he guided Juventus to their eighth consecutive Serie A triumph last week, in his sensational maiden season at the club.
In case you didn't know...
Ronaldo moved to the Italian giants last summer, for a whopping €112 million, bringing an end to a glorious nine-year spell with Real Madrid.
The huge transfer fee made him the most expensive player above 30 years of age in history.
Since moving to the Alliance Stadium, the Portuguese has scored his 125th UEFA Champions League goal, has become the top scoring Portugal national in the Italian top flight and has recently reached a century of headed goals in his career.
With this season coming to an end he now has added two more silverware to his remarkable trophy cabinet. Notably, he became the only footballer to win three different league titles in Europe.
The heart of the matter...
Ronaldo is the top scorer for The Old Lady this season with 21 goals to his name, but took some flak from the critics when Ajax ended his team's Champions League hopes in the quarter-finals.
He has been one of the top athletes in world football over the last decade, winning the coveted Ballon d'Or, the equivalent of the world's best footballer award five times in that period, while also finishing EURO 2016 as the winner with his country.
Naturally, he feels frustrated when miracles are expected from him every year. He told El Pais: (Via Marca)
"I won't deny that sometimes I get annoyed and tired because it seems as though every year I have to prove that I'm very good."
"It's difficult, you have extra pressure of having to prove something to people and it's not only for you, but your mother, your son."
"It makes you more active. You have to train, but there comes a time when you have to say "look, let me be...""
He added that he has adapted comfortably with Juventus and that he has proved he's still a top athlete at the age of 34. He said:
"I've adapted perfectly at Juventus. They saw that I'm not a smoke seller."
What's next?
Juventus may have won the league, but before the season ends they have some tricky fixtures to attend to, as they will take on AS Roma next Monday, Atalanta that weekend, before signing off for the season at Sampdoria.