An ex-chief at one of Cristiano Ronaldo's former clubs has now admitted he did not want to sign him prior to the deal materialising.
The Portuguese superstar joined Italian giants Juventus in 2018 after spending a spectacular nine years at Real Madrid, with whom he won the UEFA Champions League on four occasions.
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While Ronaldo opted for the move to Serie A, former Bianconeri CEO Giuseppe Marotta has revealed that not everybody agreed with the club's decision to sign the superstar, including him.
"I must recognise that I spent 10 wonderful years at Juventus, but when the owners want to adopt a different strategy, then a manager must take a step back. It was fair to respect the club's desire," Motta told DAZN via GOAL.
" I partially didn't agree with signing Ronaldo.
"The player can't be questioned, but the deal was demanding in financial terms.
"It was not the element that brought the splitting; the cycle was over, and we had to change."
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner went on to make 134 appearances for the Old Lady, scoring 101 goals and assisting a further 22 strikes.
While wearing the iconic black and white colours of Juve, Ronaldo helped the side win the league on two occasions, in 2019 and again the following year.
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While his goals may have played an important role in the club's success at the time, Motta has previously admitted that it was a challenge to work with the now-39-year-old.
"He was a very good player, he still is and above all he is a great champion," the Italian executive told Cronache di Spogliatoio in December 2023.
"The champion is that person who manages to convey beliefs to his teammates. 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."
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