Thursday, July 12, 2018

On Tuesday via their official website, Italian football club Juventus announced signing Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo from Spanish capital club Real Madrid. Per the press release, Ronaldo penned a four-year contract with the Turin club, which runs until June 30, 2022. Juventus said the €100 million transfer fee and €12 million in add-ons is to be paid in two financial years.

33-year-old Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009 from English club Manchester United, for a reported then-world record fee of £80 million. Since then, the Portuguese has played 438 games, scoring 451 goals, a club record. During his tenure at Santiago Bernabeu, Ronaldo has won sixteen trophies, including three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles and two LaLiga titles. Two years ago, Ronaldo won the UEFA Euro 2016 with Portugal.

Addressing Real Madrid’s club supporters, Ronaldo wrote, “I believe the time has come to embark on a new chapter in my life and that’s why I asked the club to allow me to move on” ^{((es))Spanish language: ?creo que ha llegado el momento de abrir una nueva etapa en mi vida y por eso he pedido al club que acepte traspasarme}.

This signing makes Ronaldo the most expensive player in the history of Juventus, as well as for the Italian Serie A league. Previously, Juventus paid a fee of €90 million to sign Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuaín from rivals S.S.C. Napoli, a then-Italian record transfer fee.

Ronaldo had signed a five-year contract extension in 2016, which means he still had three years left.