“They lacked something to do so” – Ricardo Carvalho opens up on Cristiano Ronaldo’s unfulfilled ‘dream’ at Juventus
Former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho has revealed how his Portuguese compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo dreamed of winning the UEFA Champions League with Serie A giants Juventus.
The Manchester United star joined Juve from Real Madrid in 2017 for £105.3 million and set his sights on bringing long-awaited Champions League glory to the Old Lady.
This year, the Serie A giants exited the competition at the Round-of-16 stage to Villarreal and they last featured in the final back in 2017, where they lost to Ronaldo's Real Madrid.
Former Premier League-winner Carvalho believes that Juventus are not a side that can be touted among the favorites for Champions League success currently, having not won the trophy since 1996.
He told Football Italia:
“Juventus are no longer accustomed to reaching the final or the semis every season."
The former Portuguese centre-back continued,
"The name or the team’s strength is not enough to win the Champions League, a competition made of details. Cristiano’s dream was to win the Champions League at Juventus, but unfortunately, they lacked something to do so.”
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“ I always believed I would be the first player to score 100 Champions League goals, and I was.” https://t.co/pPSZVoDTEz
Former Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo - The UEFA Champions League master
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Champions League legend, holding the record for most Champions League wins, having won the competition five times in his career.
His rise to superstardom began at Manchester United, where he quickly became one of Europe's most potent goalscorers.
In 2008 he scored a first-half header in the final in Moscow as the Red Devils defeated Chelsea on penalties.
He would miss his spot-kick in the shootout but United would get over the line.
The Portuguese star then joined Real Madrid in 2009 and won the title again in the 2013-2014 season.
Madrid beat their neighbors Atletico Madrid 4-1 on the night, with Ronaldo scoring a 120th minute penalty as Los Blancos romped to victory in extra time.
The two Madrid sides would meet again in the 2016 final, with another penalty shootout being required for the Portuguese star to lift a third Champions League trophy.
He scored the decisive spot-kick in a tense final at the San Siro in Milan.
The following year he was once again in the thick of things as his side would lift yet another Champions League.
They beat his future side Juventus 4-1 on the night, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring two on the night and being named man of the match.
And his final UEFA Champions League success came in 2018, where he helped Los Blancos to a third consecutive European title.
He had less of a say on this occasion but Real Madrid would defeat Liverpool 3-1 in the final at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv.
No player has ever dominated Champions league like Cristiano Ronaldo.
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His participation in next year's competition seems unlikely as Manchester United currently sit sixth in the Premier League table.
They trail fourth-placed Arsenal by five points, having played two more games than the Gunners with three games in hand.