'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What's the story?
ESPN analyst Stewart Robson has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo is a much better player at Juventus than in his last three years at Real Madrid.
In case you didn't know
Ronaldo ended his nine-year stint with Real Madrid last summer, leaving the Santiago Bernabeu as the club's all-time top scorer, having netted 451 goals in 438 appearances for the club.
During his time with the club, the Portuguese talisman won four Champions League crowns, two La Liga titles, three Club World Cups and UEFA Super Cups apiece, two Copa del Rey titles and two Spanish Super Cups.
Ronaldo also won several individual prizes at Real Madrid including four Ballons d'Or awards, three Golden Shoe awards, two The Best awards, three UEFA Best Player in Europe honours and three Pichichi crowns.
In his debut season in Italy, the 34-year-old helped Juventus to their eighth consecutive Serie A title and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to ESPN, Robson stated that Ronaldo has evolved from being a mere 'goal-scorer' at Real Madrid to being a more wholesome player at Juventus. He said, "I think he’s looked a better player at Juventus than he did for the last two or three years at Real Madrid."
"And the reason I say that is because at Real Madrid for two or three seasons he became just a goalscorer. He was a great box player. Every time the ball went into wide areas, he’s running into the box and trying to win balls in the air - which he did. And that’s why he scored so many goals."
"You very rarely saw him run with the ball, you very rarely saw him make a pass, you very rarely saw him go past someone and get a cross in."
"This season at Juventus, I think he’s looked a yard sharper. I think he’s looked a yard quicker. He’s gone past people with the ball, he’s made some fantastic runs at times. So I think in terms of his performance, he’s been a better Ronaldo over the last 12 months than he was for the last three years at Real Madrid."
He added, "Has it been a success for Juventus? Not quite so much because for many years they’ve won the double. They didn’t win the Coppa Italia. They got knocked out in the quarter-final."
"He was brought in to do much better in the Champions League and they performed really poorly against Ajax and were outplayed totally. He ended up being the lone centre-forward and it was really up against him.
"So in terms of Juventus has it been a success? No. [But] Ronaldo’s performances have actually been better, so you can’t blame Ronaldo for Juventus’ failure."
What's next?
Juventus are currently at the twilight of their season and are seeing off the remaining games of the campaign. The club will lock horns with Atalanta in the Serie A on Sunday.
