Cristiano Ronaldo’s era at Real Madrid is over.
After nine years at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ronaldo is being transferred to Juventus in a deal reportedly worth €105 million.
Ronaldo—who now embarks on a new journey at Serie A where he can win a new silverware and add more accolades to his already illustrious footballing career—is set to become Juventus’ highest earner with a €30 million per annum salary for the next four years.
Several football news outlets and websites, particularly from Italy, dubbed Ronaldo’s move to the Bianconeri as the “deal of the century,” and it’s hard to blame them as the 33-year-old Portuguese striker remains one of the best and most marketable athletes on the planet.
Ronaldo described his transfer as the moment “for a new cycle” and sure enough, plenty of things is about to change with his decision to take his talents to Italy.
SBOBET takes a look at the implications of Ronaldo’s transfer to all the parties involved, as well as to the summer transfer window.
Juventus: A league of their own
As if Juventus need another superstar to dominate Italy, their acquisition of Ronaldo just separates them from the rest of the league and made the potential contenders look like pretenders—even Napoli who gave the Old Lady some challenge in their fight for a seventh straight Scudetto.
In the latest Serie A betting odds at SBOBET, Juventus are tipped as runaway leaders to win an eighth consecutive Italian title.
Furthermore, Ronaldo had already transformed the club’s finances way before the transfer. According to reports, Juventus’ market valuation rose from €665 million to €815 million after rumours surfaced that the Portuguese talisman is plotting a move to the club.
Imagine how much Juventus is worth now that the deal is done!
Serie A and finances aside, Ronaldo also gives Juventus a legitimate chance of winning the Champions League, a trophy that proved to be too far for the team despite their Italian domination.
Juventus finished as runners-up to Barcelona in 2015 and to Real Madrid in 2017. They then failed to reach the finals last year, ironically losing to Ronaldo and his Los Blancos in the quarter-finals.
Indeed, if you can’t beat them, buy them!
Serie A, a destination for stars once again?
For an association that ranks only third behind Spain and England when it comes to domestic club competition, the arrival of football’s biggest and brightest athlete is a welcome addition.
Every league wants to be the best in the world and Ronaldo’s move lifts them up a notch in that quest. After all, it can be argued that Ronaldo was the best player in the greatest club competition on the planet.
Also, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner playing in Serie A? It has been 11 years since the league saw one of its players win the award, with footballers from La Liga dominating the voting for the better part of the last decade.
Kaka was the last Serie A player to bag the most prestigious individual honour in football, winning the trophy in 2007 while with AC Milan.
Put simply, with Ronaldo playing in the league, Serie A is back on the map as a potential destination for the best players of the Beautiful Game.
A big loss for La Liga and Real Madrid
La Liga is certainly the biggest loser of this deal.
The Spanish top flight faces stiff competition from the Premier League in the fight to provide the best football. Now, they didn’t just lose Ronaldo but also gained new competition in the form of Serie A.
For Real Madrid, they are probably celebrating from the cash windfall brought by the Ronaldo deal. However, that doesn’t erase the fact that they have a huge hole to fill in the goalscoring department.
Ronaldo finished as the second-highest scorer in La Liga in the 2017-18 campaign—scoring 26 goals even after a slow start in the competition.
Not to mention that Los Blancos now have to find a new face of the franchise, nine years after building their brand around the Portuguese.
Of course, it won’t be easy. After all, it’s hard to find a player that is as talented and desirable as Ronaldo.
Good for Barcelona, bad for El Clasico
Hands up if you’ll miss El Clasico!
Put simply, the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona will never be the same again.
There’s always plenty of interest whenever Real Madrid and Barcelona fight, thanks in large part to Ronaldo and Barca’s star Lionel Messi. And now that the other one is gone, fans can no longer argue who is the rightful one to be called the Greatest of All Time.
All signs point that Real Madrid will look for another scorer to replace Ronaldo and compete with Barcelona, but unless they make a move for Neymar, it’s doubtful they’ll find a player who can fill the void left by their former star.
The first domino for a transfer frenzy
What happens now to Gonzalo Higuain? Who should Real Madrid get? Is a Neymar-to-Madrid deal possible? How will other Serie A teams respond?
That’s just some of the questions raised after Ronaldo’s departure, and all of that will be answered next month before the transfer window closes.
Higuain is the odd man out in Juve and could ask to leave. And surely, there will be plenty of teams who will line up to get his services.
Neymar has long been rumoured to be a Real Madrid target, and it could be the perfect time for the club to make their move for the former Barcelona star.
However, players like Harry Kane, Eden Hazard and Kylian Mbappe are Real Madrid candidates as well; and when the biggest club in the world comes calling, it might be hard for the players not to pick up the phone.
Off to a big payday
At 33 years old and probably at the twilight of his career, Ronaldo got what he always wanted: a salary worthy of his status.
He’ll be paid like a true superstar until he’s 36 or 37 and way past his prime, something that Real Madrid never wanted to give him.
It might be an exorbitant amount for Juventus, but at least they’ll make Ronaldo happy and save themselves from incessant whining.
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