“Ronaldo had his best season in Italy with me” - Ex-Chelsea coach recalls working with Cristiano Ronaldo
Former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has reflected on his time coaching Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus. The 65-year-old insists Ronaldo had his best season in Italy under his management.
Sarri joined Chelsea in the summer of 2018 after managing Napoli for three years, winning the Serie A Coach of the Year award during the 2016-17 season. The Italian manager had an excellent 2018-19 campaign with the Blues.
He led Chelsea to a third-placed finish and a UEFA Europa League triumph. But Sarri parted ways with the Blues after the season and was hired by Juventus as head coach.
Sarri helped Juventus win the Scudetto in the 2019-20 campaign and Cristiano Ronaldo played an instrumental role in the triumph. The Portuguese ace recorded 31 goals and six assists in 33 Serie A appearances and netted 37 times in 46 games across competitions.
Speaking about his time with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Sarri told Football Italia:
“Ronaldo had his best season in Italy with me, he scored 37 goals across all competitions. With Giuntoli, we did great things at Napoli in three years. It would be ideal to have both Cristianos at the same time."
"Giuntoli will definitely win again, but I don’t know when. He will win with Juventus, too. He’s a director who quickly understands the players’ characteristics and the ideal footballers for his coach. He has immense courage, which he passes on to the team and the staff. I respect Cristiano so much, and I am sure he has good reasons for these drastic changes."
Cristiano Ronaldo has registered four goals and two assists in four games in all competitions for Al-Nassr this season.
Chelsea star Noni Madueke chooses between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Chelsea winger Noni Madueke has offered his two cents on the never-ending debate about who the greatest player of all time is between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The superstar duo have 13 Ballon d'Or awards between them and a plethora of other accolades and achievements.
Madueke, who signed for Chelsea from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023, has picked Ronaldo over Messi. In an interview with BBC Sport, the English forward was asked who his first-ever favorite player was. He replied:
"Cristiano Ronaldo"
When asked if he's better than Messi, Madueke replied:
"Yeah, for me."
Madueke has scored four goals in as many games across competitions for Chelsea this season.