Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo will take his talents to Turin as he leaves Real Madrid to join Italian title-holders Juventus.
Ronaldo who spent nine years with Real Madrid was sold by the Spanish club to Juventus for a transfer fee of $117.5 million which includes an additional payment of $14.1 million. Ronaldo's move to Juventus also marked the biggest transfer since Neymar shifted from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain last year.
During Ronaldo's nine seasons with the Spanish side, Real Madrid enjoyed a great deal of success winning four Champions League titles and the 2011-12 and 2016-17 La Liga crowns. Overall, the club bagged 16 titles during Ronaldo's tenure.
Real Madrid tried to keep Ronaldo by matching Juventus' gross salary offer of $64.5 million but the Portuguese striker still decided to leave. Ronaldo's current contract with the Spanish team still has three years left to run at the value of $45.2 million which is lesser than Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Why Did Ronaldo Leave?
Sources close to the situation believe that Ronaldo's decision to leave Real Madrid stemmed at the club's failure to award him a new contract. Reports suggest that the 33-year-old Ronaldo wanted a raise after steering Real Madrid to win the Club World Cup.
"These years at Real Madrid and in this city of Madrid have quite possibly been the happiest years of my life. I only have feelings of great gratitude to this club, to the fans and to the city. I can only give thanks to all of them for the love and affection that I have received." Ronaldo said in a statement.
Ronaldo inked his final contract with Real Madrid in November 2016 but team president Florentino Perez vowed to sign the striker into a new deal after helping the club bag the 2017 Champions League crown. Ronaldo was also responsible for the team's successful European Cup stint wherein he extended their record to 13 trophies.
A Great Addition For Juventus
Ronaldo is expected to provide an offensive boost to Juventus who has only been recognized as the champions of Europe in 1985 and 1996. Juventus has finished second twice in the past four years in Europe. The Real Madrid all-time top goal scorer found the back of the net for the Spanish side 450 times.
The Portuguese captain will also be joining former Real Madrid team-mate Sami Khedira in Juventus. Following Ronaldo's move to the Italian side, Juventus odds to win the Champions League next season improved from 12-1 to 7-1 while Real Madrid shifted from 6-1 to 7-1.
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