Christiano Ronaldo was previously dismissed as an individualistic character, the Portuguese has proven himself a real team player since moving to Turin from Madrid. It was the moment at which Juventus realised there might be a downside to ‘The deal of the century’. Ronaldo may well be one of the most well-known sportsmen on the planet but it seems that, thanks to his move to Juve, we are now seeing a whole new side of him.Cristiano Ronaldo had been signed to lead the Bianconeri to Champions League glory. However, just 30 minutes into his first European outing for the club, he was in tears, and disbelief, at having been dismissed for running his fingers through the hair of Valencia defender Jeison Murillo. The red card may have been farcical but Ronaldo’s reaction was no laughing matter for Juventus. This was a surprising and worrying show of raw emotion, one which suggested that Ronaldo was so tightly wound, so desperate to achieve his stated objective, that the slightest setback was too much to take.
His last-minute decision to snub the UEFA awards ceremony in August after learning he had been beaten to the Player of the Year award by Luka Modric was taken as further evidence that Ronaldo was a prima donna incapable of dealing with either ejection or rejection. It was not as if Juve didn’t know that Ronaldo was, and is a sensitive character, his time at former club Real Madrid having been punctuated by sudden emotional outbursts, both on and off the field. His mood was always a topic of huge debate.
He was seen several times berating other team-mates for failing to pass him the ball he even once reacted angrily to a Gareth Bale goal while he infamously attributed Real’s derby defeat to Atletico Madrid in 2016 to the quality of his supporting cast. “If we were all at my level, maybe we would be leaders,” Ronaldo argued at the time.
“I don’t want to disrespect anyone, but when the best players aren’t available it’s harder to win. I like to play with Karim (Benzema), with (Gareth)Bale, with Marcelo. “I’m not saying the others like Lucas (Vazquez), Jese and (Mateo) Kovacic are not good players they are very good players but it’s not the same.” The impression is that Ronaldo and Juve is a mutually beneficial relationship in which they are bringing out the best in one another.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri has hailed him as “a leader”, while midfielder Blaise Matuidi says he is inspiring all of those around him.”He makes the team grow and also his team-mates stronger,” the World Cup winner stated. Club captain Giorgio Chiellini has even admitted that he is learning a great deal from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.