Cristiano Ronaldo may be on the verge of becoming a €100 million (£88m/$117m) addition at Juventus but success is not guaranteed for the Bianconeri, says Roma rival Daniele De Rossi. A dominant force in Italian football is set to complete the stunning signing of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner on Monday, with the 33-year-old superstar in Turin to undergo a medical.
Juve have already captured seven successive Serie A titles and the expectation is that Ronaldo will make them even stronger domestically, while also helping them to challenge for Champions League honours. De Rossi has, however, warned those at the Allianz Stadium that nothing will be handed to them just because they have acquired an all-time great, with Ronaldo needing to settle in new surroundings before top prizes are given out.
The experienced midfielder said : “It’s a benefit for Italy, but above all for Juve who have signed him.
“They will start [the season] two or three steps ahead. Winning seven Scudetti means you’re doing things well. It means you’ve cracked the league.
“Buying one of the top two players in the world means aiming even higher, but he’ll have to adapt and the team will have to adapt to him.
“Not everything is written, even if they’re a team who already had the advantage of being better than everyone else.
“Now, with him, the objective is the Champions League, but it’s not written that they’ll win in Europe, just as it isn’t that they’ll win another league.”