Cristiano Ronaldo agrees to join Juventus, Real Madrid stunned

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to switch clubs as he has agreed to join Juventus. Real Madrid will be disheartened as they fail to hold on to the star player. The 33 year old is looking forward to begin a new chapter in Italy.

Juventus still have to negotiate a fee with Madrid and are expected to have to pay upwards of €100m which could go as high as €120m.

Also read: Football fanfare in the land of ballet

The Portugal International is close to complete a move to the Serie A side having already reached an agreement over a four-year contract worth €30 million per season. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has admitted before that he admired Juventus as a child and felt the respect of the fans after scoring with a stunning overhead kick when Madrid visited the Turin team in the Champions League.

Ronaldo sees Juventus as the ideal team to enhance his global reputation as he aims to dominate another of Europe’s top divisions and compete for another Champions League crown to add to the five he has won with United and Madrid. Winning it featuring for Juventus will be a dream come true for him.

Cristiano Ronaldo was said to be unhappy staying at Madrid as he sensed a lack of protection. He had his problems with the tax authorities in Spain which he has agreed to settle with a €18.8 million.

Three of Ronaldo’s former clubs including Manchester United, Sporting Lisbon and Nacional are set to benefit from the transfer, thanks to FIFA’s Solidarity Mechanism. It is a formula used to deliver compensation to clubs who invested in players between the ages of 12 and 23.

It works out as follows:

Manchester United: £2.2m

Sporting Lisbon: £1.98m

Nacional: £220,000

“In my opinion, he has already signed and passed the medical examination with Juventus in Munich,” Juventus CEO Lucciano Moggi said.

Cristiano Ronaldo was in prime form in the last season, scoring 44 goals across all competitions.