A different move for a different player: How to sign Cristiano Ronaldo is a frugal move away from Juventus

Last week, Juventus announced an agreement for Cristiano Ronaldo when Antonio Conte left Chelsea. Four years earlier, the coach left the Bianconeri on the second day of the pre-season training, claiming that the European success exceeded the club's means because "you can only not eat at 100 €. "

Previous summers had seen the Old Lady pass by a number of high-level targets, including Sergio Aguero and Robin van Persie, with the situation so bad that even the captain of the day was not the only one. Udinese Antonio Di Natale low the chance to join the club. At a meeting of shareholders in 2014, the owner and president Andrea Agnelli was pressed on the failure to sign a great player, only to respond saying "someday we will be able to sign players like Cristiano Ronaldo. "

The time has now arrived, Monday, becoming "# CR7Day" in Turin when the decision of the Portuguese megastar was made official. Taking and passing a medical exam, he was then shown around the new training ground, cutting off an immaculate figure in an anthracite gray suit and a black shirt as he was introduced to his new teammates.

Yet, the € 112m awarded to Real Madrid not only beat a new club record and break the previous record for a 33-year-old – exceeding £ 17m Manchester City would have Paid for Claudio Bravo – but it 's also totally out of place for Italian giants who have never spent as much money on a star proven that way.

Of all the previous superstar players to shoot the famous black and white stripes, They were considered the best in the world when they arrived, even the brilliant French duo of Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane reached their peak playing for Juve rather than before. The fact that this last duo was signed in Bordeaux for a little over 3 million pounds in 1996 – the same year that Alan Shearer joined Newcastle for five times that tax – says a lot about his position in London. time.

The smile of the current boss, Massimiliano Allegri, in shaking hands with Ronaldo, was unavoidable, and unlike his predecessor, he could not accuse Juve of not having invested the necessary sums to win the Champions League. Among the ten most expensive rookies of the club, seven are in the current team, the other three – Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram and Pavel Nedved – having all landed in 2001.

However, even more than transfer fees, the salary that Ronaldo will receive is what really marks this as a departure from the usual commercial practice of Juve. Particularly at the present time, General Manager Beppe Marotta has worked under strict parameters, his membership in the salary structure being unquestionably a factor in the high-profile departures of Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba and Kingsley Coman.

According to the Italian website Calcio e Finanza the top 25 players of Dybala and Higuain earn 7-7.5 million euros a year after tax, but Ronaldo's four-year contract It is a staggering financial commitment, which was only possible thanks to a hastily organized shareholder meeting by Agnelli, Marotta and the sporting director Fabio Paratici. But the man himself insists that he will work hard to prove that he can continue to be an elite player, using his introductory press conference to send a message to those who believe that movement is a step backwards. "I'm not sad about leaving Real Madrid, it's a great club and with all due respect to the players at this stage of their careers usually go to Qatar or China," Ronaldo told reporters . "I'm different from all the other players who think their career is over at my age, I want to show that I'm not like the others, I'm different, I feel good, it's a big challenge, it's a tough league but I'll be ready. "

These differences have already begun to manifest on the ground, with one of the most telling last week when the price of Juventus stock has risen 34.8 percent in just eight days thanks at the announcement of the Golden Ball five times the winner joined the club. Let's add that 520,000 Ronaldo shirts were sold through official Adidas and Juventus outlets in the first 24 hours, and it's easy to see why the Bianconeri think they'll recover. a large part of their expenses

Then there is another factor at the whole of the case; Warning. Ronaldo, last seen in short-ups in Russia while he was standing on a free kick from Portugal, clearly commands it, but Juventus also wants it. After signing a player who is a celebrity and a global icon, the club has seen a surge in its own social networks, winning 1.4 million followers on Instagram, 1.1 million followers on Twitter and 500,000 additional likes on his Facebook page this weekend. 19659002] This shows not only the massive attraction that Ronaldo has always been, but helps to chart a clear path to Juventus climbing the rich Deloitte football list over the next twelve months. With a turnover of 405.7 M € when publishing this edition in April, they are 10th but it is not difficult to imagine them quickly surpassing Liverpool (424.2 M €) and Chelsea (€ 428.0m) which exceed them directly.

Even Arsenal (€ 487.6m) in sixth could soon be in their sights, especially if they can finally end what is now a 22 year wait for the Champions League glory. Ronaldo has raised the trophy four times in the past five years, responsible for the end of Juve's dream in each of the past two seasons, but now hopes to help them make that last step.

"I know the competition will be difficult, but we have to be calm and focused because it's not easy to win the Champions League," he told reporters at Monday's press conference. "Of course, I want to try to help, Juventus was one step away from him and could not win.Even if you arrive in the final, it is not certain that you are going to win, but I hope that I can be the lucky charm. "

" I'm not on vacation, I want to get into the story with Juventus "yet the truth – thanks to the # The huge investment they made to sign Cristiano Ronaldo – is what he already has.

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