Cristiano Ronaldo news: Real Madrid won the Champions League because of the Portuguese star, claims Jorge Mendes
What's the story?
Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes has claimed that Real Madrid's Champions League victory last May was all thanks to the Portuguese forward.
In case you didn't know...
Everybody remembers the night in Kiev: Gareth Bale's heroics paired with Liverpool shot-stopper Loris Karius' mistakes gave the Los Blancos side their third consecutive Champions League title.
The night ended with a 3-1 scoreline, full of heartbreak for the Reds brigade and anger at Real captain Sergio Ramos for that Mohamed Salah challenge.
The win ended up being the last trophy that Cristiano Ronaldo would win with the Madrid club as he made a shocking move to Serie A giants Juventus that very summer.
Since then, the 33-year-old has proven himself to be a reassuring presence for a club that is definitely looking towards the Champions League trophy as the ultimate goal.
The Portuguese ace is the top scorer in the Italian league so far, with 14 goals to his name.
The heart of the matter
Mendes was named Best Agent of the Year at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai on Thursday. After the win, the Portuguese agent heaped praise on Ronaldo, who won the Player of the Year award, claiming that Real Madrid's Champions League win last summer was all thanks to the forward.
Speaking to Sky Italia, he said, "Ronaldo deserved to win everything, because he did so well last year. He scored 15 Champions League goals and if Real Madrid won that trophy, it was thanks to him. He is the greatest of all time and certainly a special player."
"He needed a little time to adapt to life in Italy at first, but has been on fine form for a while. I too thought it impossible for him to join Juve, but he strongly wanted to come to Turin and in the end, it all went well."
Mendes then spoke about Juventus' chances of winning Europe's top competition now that the club has made some significant signings. "With the summer signing of Cristiano and Joao Cancelo, Juve have certainly become the main candidates to win the Champions League. It’d be a dream come true for Cristiano to win the Champions League with Juve, but there are many factors needed in this competition, including good luck. Over a league tournament, consistency pays off, but that’s not the case in Europe."
What's next?
Ronaldo's Juventus will return to action with a Coppa Italia game against Bologna on January 13.