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When Real Madrid sold Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, the world was left in shock. Pundits and fans alike gathered on either side of the agreement spectrum, some opining that Juventus had pulled off the heist of the century and others confident that Madrid had robbed Juventus in broad daylight. 100 plus million Euros for an aging 34-year-old was not ordinary. Then again, Ronaldo is no ordinary player.
Either way, no one questioned if the move was right for Ronaldo. In everyone's mind, it already was. Having conquered Portugal, England, Spain and Europe three times over, setting his sights on Italy was a no-brainer. The cost was the issue, not the quality.
After all, it was Real Madrid that was being talked about, who had a history of high profile buys. With the Ronaldo money coming in, they were bound to splurge soon. And Juventus, crowned champions of Italy for 7 consecutive years, only had one final frontier to conquer - the Champions League.
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Who else but the uncrowned King of the UCL to help them through it? No price was too high for such a prized asset.
9 months in, it turns out no one came out with the longer end of the stick.
Real Madrid have lost the edge in Classicos against Barcelona for the first time in their history. A 1-4 aggregate loss sent them packing out of the Copa del Rey and a 12 point deficit means the league title is most certainly out of their hands. The Champions League, however remains in their sights. At least, until Ajax have something to say about it tonight.
Juventus’ fortunes are significantly better. A staggering 16 point lead should be more than enough to take them to an equally staggering 8th consecutive league title. The cups haven't been kind though. A shock loss against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia and a 0-2 deficit against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League mean trophies are not going to be more bountiful than last season.
Where does the Portuguese fit into this equation? With 19 goals and 8 assists in the league, Ronaldo sits way behind Lionel Messi with his 25 goals and 11 assists. While Cristiano's record is not too shabby at all, with the world scrutinizing every statistic available, it leaves him a step behind Messi for certain.
Also see : Womens World Cup Bracket, Copa America Standings, Gold Cup Standings
However, it is the UCL where Ronaldo's scoring has taken a nosedive. In 6 appearances so far this season, CR7 has just one goal to his name. Considering that in the last four seasons, Ronaldo has scored 10, 16, 12 and 15 goals respectively in the Champions League, it is quite a steep fall.
More than age having caught up with him, or Serie A being a more defensive league than the others - although they cannot be fully discounted as factors - the major reason is how Ronaldo fits into the Juventus system. Or rather, how he doesn't.
Massimiliano Allegri's approach to the game ignores one of Ronaldo's primary strengths, which is his pace in counters. It was how Mourinho's Madrid operated. It was how Zidane's Madrid operated. It was how Sir Alex Ferguson's United took teams apart. Juventus, however, sit back and are content with winning 1-0 if it means winning.
The difference in ideology was never more evident than the game against Napoli last week, where Ronaldo was the only Juventus player pressuring the Napoli side, while his teammates took up defensive positions. More than once, Ronaldo could be spotted pointing to his mates to push up, only to be denied.
Allegri cannot be faulted for his line of thinking. His teams are capable of attacking when they need to, as evidenced by their comeback against Spurs in the UCL last season and their performance against Madrid as well. But when there is something on the line, Allegri's side has always played the waiting game.
While a comeback in the return leg of the Champions League is not out of the equation, it is not exactly a given against a team with defensive prowess akin to Atletico Madrid. If Ronaldo does become the trump card, his legendary status will only increase manifold as a result. In case he does not, it is simply because Juventus need more time to incorporate him into their philosophy.
Juventus have everything it takes to be the best team in Europe. Ronaldo has already shown that he has everything to be the best player in Europe. Why shouldn't it work when they come together?
