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Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus ended their association last summer, with the Portuguese parting ways with the Italian giants to seal a sensational return to Manchester United. Regardless of what critics say, it was a big loss for the Bianconeri - both in the marketing and sporting sense.
Losing a player who guarantees 30-40 goals every season can't be taken lightly, especially if his name is Cristiano Ronaldo. On the other hand, the departure of the Portuguese could also be seen as a blessing in disguise for a couple of players at Juventus.
These are players who saw their influence reduced in the offensive third of the pitch due to playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, who carried the goalscoring responsibility single-handedly. It also includes a couple of players who wouldn't have gotten the chance to shine if the attacker was still at the Allianz Stadium.
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Without further ado, let's quickly take a look at five players who have benefitted from Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Juventus.
#5 Federico Bernardeschi
Cristiano Ronaldo's departure has opened the door for a number of players to get more opportunities at Juventus. Federico Bernardeschi is definitely one of them. The Italian has represented the Old Lady on multiple areas of the pitch this season, including the Portuguese's favorite spot on the left wing.
Throughout last season, Federico Bernardeschi amassed 1,445 minutes of playing time across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt. He's already surpassed that number this term, with 1,478 minutes recorded so far and more games still left to be played.
Overall, Bernardeschi started in 11 of 39 matches in the entirety of last season, across all competitions. In the present season, he has already gone past that figure, with 17 starts in 26 matches.
#4 Moise Kean
The attacker left Juventus for Everton in the summer of 2019 in a deal worth €28 million, after failing to break into the first team. However, he sealed a return to the Allianz Stadium last summer on a two-year loan deal that will see him stay in Turin until the summer of 2023.
It's worth mentioning that Moise Kean got his timing perfectly right as he returned to Juventus in the same summer Cristiano Ronaldo left the club. In the absence of the Portuguese, the Italian striker has had plenty of opportunities coming his way.
So far, he's made a whopping 34 appearances for the Old Lady across all competitions, ammassing 1,138 minutes of playing time. Keane has recorded five goals and two assists for the club since coming back in the summer.
#3 Dusan Vlahovic
Juventus snapped up Dusan Vlahovic in January following a prolific outing with Fiorentina that saw the striker lead the goalscoring charts with 17 goals and four assists in the first half of the season. The Serbian is pretty much the main man at the club right now, having bagged five goals and two assists in 11 games since switching to Turin.
It goes without saying that such an important role wouldn't have fallen in Vlahovic's path if Cristiano Ronaldo was still at the club. In fact, it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that the Bianconeri wouldn't have signed the Serbian in the first place if CR7 was still banging in the goals in Turin.
#2 Alvaro Morata
Former Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata is another player who is benefitting from Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to depart from Juventus last summer. During the 2020-21 campaign, the Spaniard played 44 games for the Bianconeri in all competitions, with all his appearances coming from the number nine spot.
This season, however, he's played 40 games for the Old Lady across all fronts. Speaking of minutes, Morata amassed 2,823 minutes of playing time last term, just 142 minutes above the 2,681 he's ammassed so far this term.
With more games still left to be played, the Spaniard is well-poised to surpass his involvement from the previous campaign. Meanwhile, he's bagged 11 goals and seven assists for the Serie A giants across all fronts this term.
#1 Paulo Dybala
The Argentine probably suffered the most from Cristiano Ronaldo's presence at Juventus, with his numbers in front of goal dropping significantly following the Portuguese legend's arrival at the club.
From recording 33 goal contributions in the season prior to Ronaldo's Turin switch, to bagging just 12 goal contributions in their first season together, Paulo Dybala's performances declined sharply. The Argentine hit his lowest point in Turin last season when he bagged just five goals and three assists throughout the campaign.
However, Dybala is rapidly rejuvenating his career this season following the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's switch to Manchester United. So far, the Argentine has recorded 13 goals and six assists to his name and looks well-placed to bag even more as we enter the final stretch of the campaign.
