Cristiano Ronaldo spent three years at Juventus after leaving Real Madrid in 2018, but one Juventus manager was not a fan of the Portugal international
Andrea Pirlo’s opinions on Cristiano Ronaldo served as an early warning for Manchester United during his time at Juventus. The Portugal star joined the Serie A giants in 2018 following a nine-year spell at Real Madrid.
At the time, the Serie A giants paid £99.2 million for the forward, who signed a four-year deal after a highly successful stint at Real, where he won four Champions League titles. After two seasons with then-manager Massimiliano Allegri, Pirlo was brought in, coaching Ronaldo for just one season.
Despite the brief time together, Pirlo’s former assistant coach Alparslan Erdem revealed that the Portuguese superstar was not wanted by the Italian coach.
“We did some data analysis and one thing was clear: he [Pirlo] didn’t like [Paulo] Dybala, and Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t suited to his style of play at all,” Erdem told BILD.
“He wanted to press high up the pitch, and the data showed that Cristiano Ronaldo was the worst at sprinting.”
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo’s private Man Utd behaviour emerges as insider reveals what he refused to doREAD MORE: ‘I played against Cristiano Ronaldo for England but another player was the real talent’
Erdem suggested that Pirlo could not bench Ronaldo due to his status and was ultimately forced to play him in his system, saying: “He didn’t want him, but there was nothing he could do – he was simply Cristiano Ronaldo.
“[Pirlo] liked Alvaro Morata much more, who was perfect for his 4-4-2 system. His system didn’t work with Ronaldo, but he couldn’t do anything against him.”
Ronaldo left Juventus in 2021, making a sensational return to Old Trafford 12 years after his first spell and at the age of 36. However, his second stint lasted just 18 months before a contentious interview with Piers Morgan led to his bitter departure to Al Nassr.
His contract had been due to run until June 2023, but both parties mutually agreed to terminate the deal in November 2022. Speaking at the time, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner said: “Following conversations with Manchester United, we have mutually agreed to end our contract early.
“I love Manchester United and I love the fans; that will never change. However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge. I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future.”
Overall, Ronaldo scored 145 goals in 346 games for the Reds across two spells at the club – the first between 2003 and 2009, and the second from 2021 to 2022.
—
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football .
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Huge Premier League kit & merch sale
Fanatics has slashed the price of football kits and merch from Premier League clubs including Man United, Man City, Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, Spurs and more.
