Juventus news: Star defender believes the team are contenders for the Champions League due to Cristiano Ronaldo 

What's the story?

Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has admitted that he is delighted to be Cristiano Ronaldo's teammate rather than his rival, adding that the arrival of the Portuguese ace has made the club genuine Champions League contenders.

In case you didn't know...

Leaving behind his nine-year association with Real Madrid and his decade-long rivalry with Lionel Messi in Spain, Ronaldo moved to Juventus for a staggering €100 million move last summer.

Since then, the former Manchester United star has netted 14 times for the Bianconeri, making himself the top scorer in the Serie A so far.

Ronaldo's presence has had an instant influence on the team, as attested to by the many Juventus players who believe the Portuguese adds another dimension to the squad.

The heart of the matter

Chiellini has now admitted that he is delighted to be on the same side as Ronaldo as opposed to being his rival during games.

Speaking to BBC Sport, the defender said:

"Cristiano scored many, many, many times against us and he broke my dreams many times - in Cardiff, in Madrid, in Turin. Before, the Champions League was a dream. Now it is a target because Cristiano is the best player in the world and we need him to make the last step."

He continued:

"It's the personality of Cristiano. He has fantastic skills in the field but out of the field, his attitude - how he works, how he prepares for the match, how he lives every day of his life - can help us. The team has changed."

Chiellini also spoke about his side's Champions League hopes, maintaining that they are too far away from the key games to determine a concrete favorite.

"I think that we are one of the four or five teams who are favorites - Barcelona, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich. But also PSG and Atletico can reach the victory and we are so far away from the key matches still," he added.

What's next?

Juventus will face Milan in the much-awaited Supercoppa Italiana final tonight. As far as the Champions League is concerned, they travel to Atletico Madrid on 20 February.