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Former Juventus chief Beppe Marotta recently discussed the impact Cristiano Ronaldo had on the Italian giants following his arrival in 2018.
The Portuguese icon decided to move on from an illustrious spell at Real Madrid on a reported €117 million deal to the Turin-based side. He spent three years at the club before deciding to rejoin Manchester United in the summer of 2021 for a reported fee of €17 million.
Ronaldo notched up 101 goals and 22 assists across competitions in 134 appearances during his stay with Juventus. He also managed to win the Serie A twice, among other honors.
However, Marotta believes the 38-year-old striker did not live up to expectations. He told the Wolf - Storie che conta podcast (via Juve FC):
“The purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo by Juve did not bring the desired results. Let’s say that his contribution did not correspond to the very great expectations that exist (ed)for his arrival.”
Despite bagging a significant number of goals, Ronaldo was unable to help Juventus win the UEFA Champions League. He also endured a sour ending to his second spell at Manchester United and had his contract mutually terminated in December 2022.
Ronaldo then joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in January 2023 where he continues to find the net with regularity. This season, the striker has scored 20 goals from 18 league appearances.
Kyle Walker places Kevin De Bruyne in the same bracket as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Manchester City defender Kyle Walker believes club teammate Kevin De Bruyne falls under the same bracket as greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Walker and De Bruyne have shared the pitch 199 times for the Cityzens, managing three joint goal contributions.
It's bold to name the Belgium international alongside Messi and Ronaldo, who have won eight and five Ballon d'Or titles, respectively. The Barcelona legend has scored 715 senior club career goals, while Ronaldo has notched up 739.
Speaking about De Bruyne, Walker said (via SPORTbilbe):
"I think there's only certain players, the likes of Messi and Ronaldo, that you can say are in the same bracket as Kevin – Kevin goes into that bracket for me."
De Bruyne is one of the best midfielders in the world. He has scored 97 goals and assisted 155 from 360 appearances across competitions for Manchester City. He's won the Premier League five times and the UEFA Champions League once, among other honors.
