mobile app bar

Cristiano Ronaldo and his hunger: What inspired his move to Juventus

Rishabh Gupta
Published

Many Real Madrid supporters are still in disbelief over Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus, and quite rightly so.

He was the King of Madrid.

“He smashes it like a rocket!”

“That’s an absolute bullet header!”

“It took off like a fighter jet and landed like a missile!”

“That’s an absolute thunderbolt from Cristiano Ronaldo!”

Many a times, we use metaphors because we think they’re more descriptive in comparison to literal words. And somehow, it feels like Cristiano Ronaldo is made for these metaphors. There is such an ease in using these words to represent a Cristiano Ronaldo goal, because he is everything we expect him to be at the football field.

He shouts for the ball. He hits it hard. He almost tears the net. He gets back, and shouts for the ball again.

A hungry lion.

Patrice Evra recently told a story about Cristiano Ronaldo during the ITV World Cup podcast. Evra has been a former teammate of the Portuguese during his time at Manchester United. The story relates to Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, and a game of table tennis.

“They (Rio and Ronaldo) were playing table tennis and Rio beat him and we were all screaming and Ronaldo was so upset. Then he sent his cousin to buy a table tennis table. He trained for two weeks at home and he came back and he beat Rio in front of everyone.

That’s Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Yep, that is Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s hungry to win.

Ronaldo did that for a sport he doesn’t play for a living. Imagine his dedication on the one he actually does.

Cristiano Ronaldo is an epitome of hard-work, dedication and success. His story establishes the fact that if someone works his butt off, triumph and glory will eventually arrive, even when someone more gifted is lurking around.

Ronaldo left Real Madrid, and even the most pessimistic of the fans wouldn’t have dared to think about its possibility. At the age of 33, Ronaldo, after scoring 50 goals in the 2017-18 season for the club, has joined Juventus for a transfer fee of 112m.

The Portuguese superstar played for Real Madrid since 2009. The most flashy and the most glamorous of all. A few tricks, some stepovers, theatrics and a big leap near the corner flag, and as he touches the Earth, Santiago Bernabeu proclaims him the new King of Madrid.

And yet, on the night of the Champions League final, after an emphatic victory against Liverpool, Ronaldo tells his interviewers that it ‘was’ a pleasure to play for this club.

Cristiano Ronaldo wants to be the best. For himself, he is the best. According to ESPN, Ronaldo was perturbed by Florentino Perez putting the ‘on sale’ tag on him. It was crushing his ego, and rightly so, simply because his ego is a product of more than 20 years of consistent hard-work. His ego is a product of innumerable trophies with Manchester United and Real Madrid. His ego is a product of five Ballon d’Or titles.

Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo’s statement after his departure from Real Madrid

But Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus is more than what meets the eye. Juventus may not be Real Madrid or Manchester United, but they’re big. And Ronaldo’s transfer to the Italian club is an opportunity for the Portuguese winger to shine in a different league with a completely different set of players.

Ronaldo ended Juventus’ Champions League dream in 2017-18, which would now be the club’s major priority with this move. And the stage is set for Cristiano Ronaldo to inspire them to their third Champions League title. He reportedly rejected a 200m move from China to sign for Juventus, which signifies that he is still keen to prove his mettle.

In the first-leg in Turin against Juventus this year, Cristiano Ronaldo received an ovation from the Juventus crowd for his overhead kick. Back then, Ronaldo would’ve hardly thought he would be wearing the black and whites the next time he plays at Juventus Stadium. The club’s fans showed him respect when Cristiano Ronaldo scored in Real Madrid whites. They will probably rain flowers the first time he comes out in the Juventus jersey.

The superstar from Portugal has taken on a different challenge this time. And this is his proclamation that he is ready to take another league by storm.

Because that’s the thing with Cristiano Ronaldo. He is always hungry.

About the author

Rishabh Gupta

Rishabh Gupta

A sports enthusiast. Sports, I believe, is one of the few powers which help us grow, both as an individual and society. With each day, in the rich world of sports, I grow.

Read more from Rishabh Gupta

Share this article