“I hope I’ll do as well as he did in Italy” - 24-year-old forward labels Cristiano Ronaldo as inspiration after completing Serie A transfer
Former Real Madrid forward Luka Jovic has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as his inspiration following his move to Serie A.
The Serbian international has left Real Madrid to join Italian side Fiorentina on a free transfer this summer.
Los Blancos paid a premium fee of €60 million to sign the forward three years ago when he was one of the most sought-after players on the planet. However, the move never really worked out for the 24-year-old as he could only find the back of the net thrice in 51 outings for the Spanish capital club.
Even a loan back to Germany with his former club Eintracht Frankfurt could not revitalize Jovic's Real Madrid career as he scored just four goals in 18 games. Jovic will wear the number seven jersey at Fiorentina next season, taking inspiration from his idol Cristiano Ronaldo.
🎙| Luka Jović: “I picked #7 because I’m inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo, I hope to try and do what he did in Italy. For me, he is the greatest player of all time.” #rmalive https://t.co/SDgmlE8bnr
The Serb has insisted that he hopes to do as well as his inspiration Ronaldo did during his spell in Italy with Juventus. Jovic said, as quoted by Football Italia:
“I’ve picked No. 7 because there weren’t many other numbers I liked. Hopefully, it will bring good luck. Cristiano Ronaldo inspires me and I hope I’ll do as well as he did in Italy."
Real Madrid have taken a huge loss by allowing Jovic to join Fiorentina on a free transfer. However, they have a 50% clause on the sale of the player in the future.
The Serbian international had quite a blistering start to his time at Fiorentina. He scored four goals in 28 minutes in his first match for Fiorentina as they beat Real Vicenza 7-0, albeit in a friendly.
Cristiano Ronaldo's future seems to be up in the air
Cristiano Ronaldo's future seems to be up in the air as he has reportedly told Manchester United that he wishes to leave the club this summer if a satisfactory offer comes in for him.
As reported by The Athletic, Chelsea are considering a move for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: Cristiano Ronaldo has rejected the offer from Saudi Arabia, which would have seen him earn around £250m in two years.
🚨 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: Cristiano Ronaldo has rejected the offer from Saudi Arabia, which would have seen him earn around £250m in two years.
The offer also included a £25m payment to Manchester United.
(Source: @Record_Portugal) https://t.co/PoVrcwRD65
Manchester United CEO Richard Arnold is trying his best to persuade the Portuguese forward to remain at the club.
Meanwhile, manager Erik ten Hag has insisted that Ronaldo is not for sale. He told ESPN:
"We are planning for Cristiano Ronaldo for the season and that's it. I'm looking forward to working with him. I have read [that he wants to leave], but what I say is Cristiano is not for sale, he is in our plans and we want success together."