"Cristiano Ronaldo is a multinational company" - Former manager opens up on his time with the Portuguese superstar at Juventus
Former Juventus and current Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri has described Cristiano Ronaldo as a "multinational company" in an interview with Italian radio station Sport Italia (via ESPN).
Sarri admitted that managing Cristiano Ronaldo is not easy as the Portuguese superstar is more than just a player. He said:
"Cristiano Ronaldo's management is not simple, from all points of view. He is a multinational company, he has personal interests that must coincide with football. His interests go beyond what is normal, beyond the team or club.
"I am a coach, not a manager. Ronaldo, however, brings the numbers at the end of the year. But in recent years, I hear a lot about players and little about teams."
Sarri, however, conceded that despite Cristiano Ronaldo's extracurricular activities, he still brings the necessary goods which help a team prosper at the end of the season. Maurizio Sarri guided Juventus to the 2020 Serie A title in a season which saw Ronaldo score 31 league goals.
The 62-year-old is unhappy that his success at Juventus wasn't appreciated enough. The Italian manager believes his Serie A win was taken for granted.
"The Scudetto was taken for granted at Juventus, both on the outside and on the inside. We didn't even celebrate. Everyone went to dinner on their own."
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Cristiano Ronaldo has just one year remaining on his Juventus contract
Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Juventus in the summer of 2018, now has only one year remaining on his contract.
Speculation about Ronaldo's future has been the subject of much debate throughout the summer transfer window. Various reports from Italy suggested that Juventus would sell Cristiano Ronaldo to either Manchester United or Paris Saint-Germain in order to free up a large chunk of their wage budget.
However, Juventus' director of football Federico Cherubini has come out and said that the 36-year-old forward has given the club no indications of leaving and is ready to sign a new deal. Cherubini said:
"We’ve currently received no signal from Cristiano Ronaldo to leave the club this summer. Same from our side. We’re happy to have Cristiano back with us once the new season will start."
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