“It’s not a challenge to go to one of the strongest teams in the world”- When Zlatan Ibrahimovic offered opinion on Cristiano Ronaldo joining Juventus
Zlatan Ibrahimovic once opined that Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Juventus wasn't a challenge given the Italian giants' stature. The Portuguese legend moved from Real Madrid to Juve in the summer of 2018 for a fee of €117 million.
Before his move to Turin, Ronaldo had conquered everything there was to conquer at club level. This included 13 trophies during his nine-year stint at Real Madrid, including four Champions League titles.
Ibrahimovic, who had a trophyless stint at Juventus (2004-06), spoke about Ronaldo's transfer to I Bianconeri on DAZN (via the Independent) in February 2019. The Swedish legend had said:
"I didn’t say his transfer wasn’t great [on previous comments which seemingly suggested he was critical of the transfer]. I said that it wasn’t a challenge to join Juventus. It’s not a challenge to go to one of the best teams in the world. Maybe it depends on what you mean by challenge. For me, a challenge is joining a team and taking them far. That’s a challenge."
At the time, Juventus had won seven consecutive league titles. They won two more with Ronaldo (2018-20) along with three other domestic trophies before the Portuguese icon returned to Manchester United in 2021.
Despite winning the club's Player of the Season thrice and netting 101 goals in 134 games, some believe that his time at Juventus was underwhelming. After all, the two-time UEFA Champions League winners never made it further than the quarter-finals in the competition while he was in Turin.
Cristiano Ronaldo once explained why he switched Real Madrid for Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo once shed light on the reason behind his switch from Real Madrid to Juventus. In October 2018, he sat down for an interview with France Football, where he said that he didn't feel as wanted as he did before at Los Blancos.
The now 39-year-old superstar said back then (via The Guardian):
"I felt it inside the club, especially from the president, that they no longer considered me the same way that they did in the start. In the first four or five years there I had the feeling of being ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’. Less afterward...
"That’s what made me think about leaving... I did not come to Juve for the money. I earned the same in Madrid, if not more. The difference is that, at Juve, they really wanted me. They told me that and made it clear. They showed me that."
With 450 goals and 131 assists in 438 games, it is fair to say Ronaldo peaked during his time at Real Madrid. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner didn't find much success on his return to Manchester United and swapped continents in December 2022 to move to Al-Nassr, where he is currently the captain.