"He has no respect for his teammates" - When former Juventus star took shots at Cristiano Ronaldo
Former Juventus defender Pasquale Bruno took shots at Cristiano Ronaldo in 2020. At the time, the Portuguese ace had spent two years in Turin, joining the Italian giants from Real Madrid in 2018 for a reported €117 million.
During his first two years with I Bianconeri, Ronaldo enjoyed success as they won two consecutive Serie A titles. However, in his third and final season at the club, he came under criticism for his perceived lack of respect.
This criticism came from Pasquale Bruno, who lashed out at Cristiano Ronaldo's continual use of Spanish to interact at the time. The former Juventus defender termed it "ignorance" and called him out for his lack of respect towards Italians.
On Mediaset Italia TV show Tiki Taka, he said (via AS):
"He's ignorant. He's been living in Italy now for two years and has yet to learn the language. He uses Spanish to express himself. He has no respect for his teammates or Italians in general."
Ronaldo eventually left Italy, opting for a return to Manchester United in the summer of 2021. However, it was a short stint as his contract was mutually terminated in November 2022. In January 2023, he moved to Al-Nassr, where he has played ever since.
Why did Cristiano Ronaldo leave Real Madrid?
Before his move to Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo became a legend at Real Madrid, where he rewrote history books over a nine-year stint. His status at the club raises the question of why he left for Juventus and continued his career away from the Spanish capital.
The Portugal captain revealed the reasons behind his exit, telling France Football in October 2018 that he no longer felt indispensable. He said (via GiveMeSport):
“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 afterwards."
"The president looked at me through eyes that didn’t want to say the same thing, as if I was no longer indispensable to them," he added.
He further explained that Juventus were interested in him, and they showed it:
"If it had all been about money, I’d have moved to China, where I would have earned five times as much as here [at Juventus] or at Real. 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."
It is worth noting that Cristiano Ronaldo has not won the UEFA Champions League or the Ballon d'Or since leaving Real Madrid. He is Los Blancos' record goalscorer with 450 goals in 438 games across competitions.