Juventus News: Cristiano Ronaldo exceeded all expectations, says former Ballon d'Or winner
What's the news?
Former Juventus star Pavel Nedved believes that Cristiano Ronaldo exceeded all the expectations at the Allianz Stadium and his mental qualities are helping others improves their game as well.
In case you didn't know...
Cristiano Ronaldo is in a remarkable form since joining Juventus from Real Madrid last summer and he proved that age is just a number.
The 34-year-old is currently the top goalscorer(19 goals) in the Serie A this season and is also leading the assists charts (eight assists) in the Italian top division. His presence in the dressing room also helped the players like Paulo Dybala improve his game, who is in a brilliant form from the last few weeks.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is going toe-to-toe with Lionel Messi for the European Golden Shoe this season and is only three goals behind the Argentine.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to the Telegraph(via goal.com), Pavel Nedved says that the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo helped Juventus improve mentally.
He said:
“With Cristiano Ronaldo joining it has improved the mentality.
“There always was a strong, winning mentality but there is something that he has brought which has influenced the rest of the team, that has affected them and has made them even more confident.”
When asked about whether Ronaldo fulfilled expectations at the club.
No, he’s even more than that.
“We knew him as a player but now we know him as a person and we’ve all been really impressed by his personality, his character. He is much more than a player.
“The way I describe Juventus is that it exactly matches with him. Ronaldo is a Juventus player. It’s a perfect fit and it is the perfect mentality.”
What's next?
Despite being successful in the league, Juventus did not win the Champions League since the 1995-96 season and will be looking forward to ending their drought under the guidance of Cristiano Ronaldo this campaign, who won Europe's elite tournament four times during his stay with Real Madrid.