Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo can be “challenging” to work with, admits former Juventus CEO Beppe Marotta.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner completed a stunning transfer to Turin from Real Madrid in the summer of 2018. He was one of the last marquee signings put in place during Marotta’s time with the Bianconeri and registered 101 goals for the Serie A giants through 134 appearances.
Ronaldo delivered two league titles and a Coppa Italia triumph during his time with Juve, but he was not always the easiest to work with. Marotta has told Cronache di Spogliatoio of bringing the all-time great on board and how he acted behind the scenes: “He was a very good player, he still is and above all he is a great champion.
The champion is that person who manages to convey beliefs to his team-mates. He was a bit of a leader of the team, he was the most famous and he dragged the others into the game. So, it was challenging, but he didn’t make me angry.
”Ronaldo did go on to ruffle feathers back at Manchester United, leading to his release in November 2022, with Paul Pogba doing likewise during his time at Old Trafford. Marotta says the French midfielder was his most difficult piece of recruitment business when first taking him to Turin in 2012. He added:
“There is a player today who’s at Juventus called Pogba. It was a very complicated deal. Because he came from Manchester United, he hadn’t signed a contract so there were many teams that wanted him. It was difficult to negotiate his purchase, it was very complex.”