Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus all happened very quickly.
It felt like Ronaldo’s Portugal had only just been eliminated from the World Cup when reports began circulating that he had played his last game for Real Madrid.
All of a sudden, a fee believed to be £88 million was agreed and a press conference was arranged to present Ronaldo to Juventus supporters.
The 33-year-old has remained relatively vague about his reasons for deciding to leave Real Madrid just a couple of months after winning his third consecutive Champions League title with Los Blancos.
And, apparently, there’s a good reason for that as Spanish outlet MARCA have revealed that Ronaldo and the La Liga giants had agreed to a non-aggression pact before he left the club.
The agreement ensured that neither party would speak ill of the other publicly and that’s perhaps why the reigning Ballon d’Or holder only responded to two questions about his now-former club during his first press conference as a Juve player.
“The nine years at Real Madrid were wonderful, but it’s a brand new step in my life, so I thank all the supporters with my heart,” Ronaldo said at his unveiling. “But I have to focus on this next step. I’m looking forward to playing. I’m very motivated, concentrated and focused on that.
“I’m going to try to show that I am a top player, as usual. I’m going to work hard in training … I am very ambitious and I like challenges. I don’t like to stay in my comfort zone. After the experiences in Manchester and in Madrid, I’d like to mark the history of Juventus.”
The MARCA report adds that Ronaldo is unable to speak his mind with regards to his real reason for moving on, suggesting that all was not well with his relationship with the higher-ups at the Santiago Bernabeu.
