“He needs love and respect” – Evra makes bold claim on reasons that led to Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Juventus

Patrice Evra has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo left Juventus for Manchester United because he wanted to be "loved" and "respected." The Frenchman believes his former team-mate was not happy at the Italian club.

Despite claiming he would remain at Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo left to join Manchester United towards the end of August. The Portuguese star reportedly spoke with multiple clubs and was close to joining Manchester City before returning to Old Trafford.

Speaking with Repubblica, Patrice Evra claimed the Portuguese star left because he was being made the scapegoat for Juventus' bad performances. The former Manchester United defender added that manager Massimiliano Allegri's warning that he would not play Ronaldo in every game of the 2021-22 season also contributed to the Portuguese's departure.

"Because he needs love and respect. He had understood that in Turin, he was becoming the scapegoat for Juventus' bad results. However, many forget that it's not easy to win in Serie A," Evra said. "Agnelli's target is to win the Scudetto every year, not the Champions League. Allegri's words also had a role in [Cristiano] Ronaldo's exit. He said 'Ronaldo won't play all games,' there's no reason to say it publicly, just keep it private because Cristiano Ronaldo is affected from things like this."

Evra backs Juventus boss Max Allegri

Patrice Evra was not happy with Allegri publicly revealing his plans for Cristiano Ronaldo, but nevertheless spoke in glowing terms of the Juventus manager. Evra recalled how Allegri focused on delivering success in the league over the Champions League.

"I respect Sarri and Pirlo did a great job, but, as I also told Agnelli, he shouldn't have sacked Allegri in 2019. He has an incredible eye for football, he always knows what will happen in a game before it even starts. In Dortmund, when we played against Borussia in 2015, he had predicted everything that happened in the game."

"He told us: 'This is like a friendly for us' and only a few days earlier he was screaming and shouting at us for a game against Genoa. He is obsessed with games against small teams."

Juventus have not won the Champions League since the 1995-96 season. They have come close twice in the last decade but lost to Real Madrid and Barcelona in the final.