Ronaldo Takes His Bankbook to Juventus

It's not every day that a five-time Ballon d'Or winner on one of the world's biggest clubs is on the move.

However, it does seem like every other day that an early-30s mega-star in a sport somewhere wants to test a club's future by demanding a long-term contract.

Real Madrid is cash-rich, but they're not crazy.

So, Juventus will fork out hella dosh to 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo for the next four years.

 

Fact check, dudes: Five Ballons d'Or ... 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.

Leave it to Real to turn a tidy £20million profit on Ronaldo's transfer fee. If that's not a reason to trust their decisions, then what they'll be able to buy with it will be.

As if there was ever any doubt, they're shrewd dudes, always one move ahead.

 

Juve aren't exactly losing any more money on the deal, but it's clear they need long runs in the Champions League to keep sweet.

Le Zebre had just better hope Ronaldo is that rare physical specimen who's still a peak performer at 38, which is how old he'll be at the end of his deal.

 

Don't ask MLB's Los Angeles Angels about that sorta gamble. They watched as one of baseball's surest performers went straight into the tank after signing him in his prime.

Like Ronaldo, Albert Pujols got an attitude that the St Louis Cardinals didn't respect him. Karma, once again, was a bitch.

 

The specter of a deep decline in Ronaldo's performance over the next four years is a situation Real would rather avoid. Yes, the club won the Champions League this spring -- with serious help from Liverpool -- but they also finished a distant third to Barcelona in La Liga.

It looks like a great time for them to turn the page.

 

Besides, how was it possible to grasp the Portuguese international's issues with Real management not appreciating him?

Ronaldo was third on the overall wage scale, behind Lionel Messi and Neymar, which can only be called disrespect caused by detachment from reality. Now, dude's take that moment is to move to Juventus and take a pay cut.

 

Of course it is.

Dude had different reasons to move along last season, too. How could Real now not come to any other conclusion?

Go help Juve win an eighth straight Serie A title, dude. They've seen enough of you on the other side of the ball to hope there are still four years of goals left in that body.

 

What else is there to say?