Cristiano Ronaldo
Man Utd and PSG turned down chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, claims Italian journalist
Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain both rejected the opportunity to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus last summer, according to La Repubblica journalist Emanuele Gamba. The 36-year-old’s future has been at the centre of a lot of speculation in the last few days following Juventus’ early exit from the Champions League at the hands of Porto. Oliveira scored twice to eliminate Juventus This is the third year in a row that the Italian giants have suffered disappointment in Europe, having previously been knocked out by Ajax and Lyon. Given the current financial climate, Juventus’ failings on the pitch and Ronaldo’s ambition, it would not be surprising to see the Portuguese forward move on in the upcoming transfer window. Two clubs that have apparently already turned down Ronaldo once ...
Juventus’ €100m Cristiano Ronaldo gamble has failed – it’s time to cash in
Juventus have suffered their fair share of Champions League heartbreak. Having last won the tournament in 1996, they have since been defeated in five finals, most recently in 2017. In hopes of lifting the trophy once more, they signed the man dubbed ‘Mr. Champions League’ himself – that man, of course, being Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is the competition’s all-time top goalscorer and has lifted the trophy five times. Juventus themselves know better than anyone how much the forward relishes this competition: he bagged a brace against them in the 2017 final and scored three against them in the 2017/18 quarter-finals, including a stunning bicycle kick. Ronaldo’s stunning bicycle kick brought the Allianz Stadium to its feet Despite his supreme ability, however, the signing of Ronaldo was a huge...
Juventus legends slam Cristiano Ronaldo after Champions League exit
Juventus legends Fabio Capello and Alessandro Del Piero have hit out at Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo following the club’s exit in the Champions League round of 16 at Porto’s hands. The Old Lady lost the first leg 2-1, with Ronaldo performing well below his usual standards. He was expected to be the one to lead a second leg comeback, but was unable to prevent the game from going to extra-time while teammate Federico Chiesa struck twice. Then, with a penalty shoot-out looming, the 36-year-old turned his back on Sergio Oliveira’s low free-kick, resulting in Porto netting a crucial second to lead the tie on away goals. Adrien Rabiot’s late header two minutes later was not enough to salvage the tie, and the Italian giants were eliminated. Ronaldo was visibly frustrated in a quiet nigh...
Juventus knocked out by Porto in enthralling Champions League tie
Porto progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals after a breathless second leg against Juventus. Both sides had glorious chances to open the scoring in the first ten minutes. Alvaro Morata was first, seeing his header well saved by Agustin Marchesin after Juan Cuadrado’s inch-perfect cross. Shortly afterwards, Mehdi Taremi had his close range effort blocked by Leonardo Bonucci, and proceeded to head the rebound against the crossbar. But it wasn’t long before the deadlock was broken, and it was the away side who found the net. Taremi won his side a penalty following Merih Demiral’s challenge. Sergio Oliveira stepped up and placed his spot kick into the bottom corner. There was little in the way of goalmouth action before the break, with Porto looking solid at the back. Marchesin deni...
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Brazil legend Ronaldo ‘the best player in history’
Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has named Brazil legend Ronaldo as ‘the best player in history’. Ibrahimovic expressed his admiration towards the World Cup winner ahead of Milan’s Europa League clash with Red Star Belgrade on Thursday night, while putting him ahead of modern-day greats such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the all-time list of top players. The 39-year-old thinks Ronaldo Nazario, who inspired Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002, transcended the game with his unique talents and still stands out as the unrivalled master of the footballing craft to this day. Zlatan told Discovery Plus: “I don’t need to describe Ronaldo, ‘The Phenomenon’. “I always say you have the players that play the game, and the players that are the game. For me, Ronaldo is the game. When you watch him...
Report: Cristiano Ronaldo to extend his Juventus contract by a year
Cristiano Ronaldo seems to be getting better with age and his performances for Juventus has earned him a new contract, according to reports. There have been talks of the Juventus attacker leaving the club in the nearest future, however, the latest report from Momblano via Calciomercato says that the attacker will sign a one-year extension to his current deal soon. Ronaldo has a contract with the Bianconeri until 2022, but the report claims that they will extend it until 2023. Despite getting older, his goals have been one of the reasons why Juventus has remained competitive. The club is now looking to reward him and the report says that money isn’t a problem. Juve has renewed their contract with Jeep and Adidas, which gives them the money that they need to pursue their goals. “CristianoRon...
Cristiano Ronaldo wants Real Madrid star to join Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo wants Juventus to go for one of the most experienced players from the Real Madrid roster during the upcoming months. Real Madrid took a slight backseat as Cristiano Ronaldo made a blockbuster move to Juventus during the summer of 2018. The Portugal international was not well replaced in the transfer window of his exit, which saw Los Blancos pay the ultimate price of enduring a trophyless season. However, they did pull up their socks in 2019. Florentino Perez spent an incremental amount and brought in some fine players last summer as the Whites won La Liga. One of the president’s recruit was left-back Ferland Mendy, who has quickly developed into one of the world’s best in his position. In doing so, the Frenchman has outdone Marcelo and therefore won over his manager’s tru...
FIFPro Announce 2020 World XI Nominees
The shortlist for the 2020 FIFPro World XI has been announced. Every professional footballer around the world was invited to vote for the best player in each position. The ones with the most votes made it into the 55-man shortlist. The goalkeeper with the most votes, as well as the top three defenders, midfielders, and forwards, will be inducted into the FIFPro World XI. The remaining spot will go to the outfield player with the most votes. Bayern Munich are the most represented team in the shortlist, boasting 11 players. Title winners Real Madrid and Liverpool come in joint-second with eight players each. Bayern completed the treble with a win over PSG in August Despite going trophyless last year, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur both make it into the top five, with six and five candidates...
Juventus hit back to beat Torino
Juventus came from behind to beat Torino 2-1 on Sunday with US midfielder Weston McKennie among the scorers for the first time since he joined the Italian champions on loan. McKennie’s close-range header on 78 minutes put Juve level after Nicolas Nkoulou had given Torino a first-half advantage. After McKennie’s equaliser, Leonardo Bonucci produced an 89th-minute winner to lift Juve to second in the table, three points behind AC Milan who visit Sampdoria on Sunday. Inter Milan can overtake Juve by beating Bologna in Saturday’s late match. Before the game in Turin, Cristiano Ronaldo was presented with a special jersey commemorating his 750th career goal. But Ronaldo played a supporting role for once as 22-year-old McKennie, on loan from German club Schalke 04, scored a first Serie A goal and...
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 10 Most Memorable Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo. Five Ballons d’Or, Five Champions Leagues, seven league titles, and God knows how many records. And on 2nd December 2020, the Portuguese hit another milestone, netting his 750th professional career goal – a figure bettered only by Pele and Josef Bican. Having hit this extraordinary number, it’s difficult to narrow it down, but here are Cristiano Ronaldo’s ten most memorable goals. 1) vs Portsmouth (Premier League, 07/08) An unstoppable free kick from 30 yards out One thing that Ronaldo has become known for over the years is his iconic free kick technique. And, in January 2008, we got a glimpse of it at its very best. Early into a home fixture against Portsmouth, the Portuguese unleashed an unstoppable free kick into the top corner from 30 yards, leaving goalkeeper David ...
UEFA Announce Team of the Year Nominees
UEFA have revealed the nominees for the 2020 fans’ Team of the Year. The 50-man list is comprised of five goalkeepers, 15 defenders, 15 midfielders, and 15 forwards. Rather unsurprisingly, treble winners Bayern Munich are the most heavily represented side in the nominations, boasting ten candidates. Bayern completed the treble with a win over PSG in August Runaway Premier League champions Liverpool and Champions League finalists Paris Saint Germain also hold a high percentage of the nominees, possessing eight candidates each. It was a disappointing turn out from the La Liga giants, as Real Madrid and Barcelona only managed one nominee each, while Atletico Madrid had just two. Germany were the most represented nation with six, with France one behind. Argentina, Portugal, England, Brazil, Sp...
Lewandowski ahead of Liverpool and PSG stars in our FIFA Best POTY Rankings
Despite all the troubles of 2020, the past year of football has seen some exceptional stories. Bayern Munich dominated the scene and won the treble, Liverpool finally ended their 30-year wait for a league title, Leeds United made it back into the top flight on the 46281871th time of asking – we’ve seen it all. As is customary, individual awards are handed out at the end of the year, and arguably the most prestigious of them all is The Best FIFA Men’s Player prize. And, with the Ballon d’Or moved to 2021, it’s got even more of an edge to it. But who from the 11-man shortlist deserves the award the most? Let’s take a look. 11) Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich and Liverpool) Thiago was at the heart of Bayern’s success The former Barcelona man was a key player at the heart of Bayern’s midfield,...
