Football: Ronaldo is not enough, Juve strengthens its Italian domination but fails to impose itself in Europe

MILAN: Mbadimiliano Allegri oversaw his last match as a Juventus coach on Sunday (May 26), after leading the team to an eighth consecutive title in Serie A, while paying the prize for the season. a new failure in the Champions League despite the sensational signing of the Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo was left out with many other starters while the Allegri era ended on a 2-0 defeat against Sampdoria, having played 31 games out of 38 and ending the season as top scorer. of the team with 21 goals in the league.

But helping the team win another Serie A title was not the reason the 34-year-old had been hired last summer.

Ronaldo spent nine brilliant seasons at Real Madrid, winning a fourth Champions League trophy in five seasons before settling in Italy.

His arrival in Turin for a contract of 100 million euros (plus 30 million euros a year) was hailed as "the agreement of the century" by the Italian press.

But after a season in which they were supposed to beat everything, Juventus won less than the previous season, with a four-year reign while holders Coppa Italia ended in a 3-0 quarter-final defeat by Atalanta.

Ronaldo alone has propelled Juventus into the quarterfinals of the Champions League with a hat trick against Atletico Madrid.

But his hopes of a consecutive European triumph for the fourth time were unsuccessful when they crashed against the Dutch Ajax audience in the eighth finals.

In the midst of criticism of Allegri's tactics, Ronaldo, who scored 124 goals in 160 Champions League games, reportedly said, "I do not do miracles".

"Cristiano showed us that he could always score in the games that mattered, but then you need a strong team behind him," said veteran defender Andrea Barzagli.

MONEY-SPINNER

Despite the financial repercussions of his failure in the Champions League, Ronaldo's signing was a great year for Juventus.

Winner of the Golden Ball award five times is the most watched sports star on social media with a worldwide reach of more than 340 million followers.

In the end, more fans mean more money, and suddenly, Ronaldo's transfer fees do not seem so exorbitant any more.

The value of the club on the Milan Stock Exchange has exploded 133% since its arrival last July.

Shares traded around 0.6 euros in mid-May, reaching 1.8 euros in the September 20 session, before declining slightly after Ronaldo's rape charges in the US since 2009; that he vehemently denies.

The shares jumped 30% after his hat-trick catapulted the Italian football club to the semifinals of the Champions League in March.

Next season, there will be a new coach on the dock, which would include Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, former Napoli coach Mauricio Pochettino of Tottenham and Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi among the candidates.

On the pitch, Welsh international midfielder Aaron Ramsey arrives in Turin from Arsenal.