Five biggest winners from Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Juventus

#5 Serie A

Ronaldo in Juventus jersey

The Serie A was undoubtedly Europe's top league from the 1980's through to the 1990's, parading superstar players including Maradona, Jurgen Klinsmann, George Weah, Ronaldo De Lima, Marco Van Basten, Roberto Baggio, Paolo Maldini, Gabriel Batistuta, to name a few. AC Milan were the dominant force of this period, as Arrigo Sacchi forged a compact side which dominated Europe and were the last team to win consecutive European Cups before Real Madrid equalled and surpassed that feat.

Its clubs were also the most financially prosperous, with Italian clubs setting the world record transfer for players six times consecutively between 1984 and 1992. Milan (twice) and Juventus set three records in the space of 61 days in 1992. More world record transfers happened in 1997, 1998 and 2000, following Ronaldo, Vieri and Crespo's transfers to Inter, Lazio and Milan respectively.

All that has changed in recent seasons, however, as Serie A has taken a massive hit in appeal, falling behind the likes of the Premier League and La Liga due to a number of factors, including a distinct lack of star attractions and the Calciopoli scandal of 2006. Former Italian European heavyweights including AC Milan and Inter Milan have lost their European pedigree, with Juventus the only Italian club currently making an impact in Europe.

The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in Serie A could potentially change that by creating global interest in the league like his Brazilian namesake did with his arrival in 1997. Ronaldo is one of the most marketable athletes in world football, and his arrival would increase media coverage as well as the TV audience as fans will tune in week in week out to watch their idol play. It will also increase revenue at stadiums as fans will troop in to see Ronaldo live in person.

The Serie A has already started making gains from Ronaldo's arrival, with it recently being announced that the league has signed a broadcast deal with a major satellite television provider in Sub-Saharan Africa. Ronaldo has attracted huge followership everywhere he has gone, and the Serie A is set to benefit from his immense popularity and marketability.