Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer away from Madrid this summer was imminent yet it took the world by shock. Being brought by Juventus for a big money move, Ronaldo seems to have settled in well at Turin. However, other professionals and fans still seem to be perplexed about his decision to leave the Spanish Capital.
After nine years in the Spanish capital, Ronaldo finished with 450 goals from 438 games, winning two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues. But, Spanish media outlet El Mundo has come up with three plausible reasons for this iconic transfer.
The first reason is associated with his fiscal problems. Ronaldo was charged in 2017 with tax evasion of almost €15m from 2011 to 2014. It appears that the issue arose due to the discrepancies between Ronaldo’s lawyers and the entities which pay his taxes – the sponsors. Before the World Cup this year, Ronaldo was given a two-year suspended jail sentence and fined €18.8m after striking a deal with the Spanish authorities.
Consequently, the second reason gets more clarity. According to the man himself, Real Madrid did not stand by him during the phase of this off-the-pitch financial fiasco’s. Ronaldo believes when a similar issue took place with his Barcelona counterpart Lionel Messi, the Blaugrana side supported Messi in every possible way including a new deal for the Argentinian legend to help him deal with the Spanish treasury. In Ronaldo’s case, no such aid came forth and thus gave CR7 reasons to seek fresh pastures.
“It is a lack of respect that I, the Ballon d’Or winner, earn less than Messi and Neymar. It’s status, respect,” Ronaldo is reported to have explained. This lack of respect was shed light on yet again when Ronaldo was not given a special send-off despite being arguably one of the greatest players of all time.
Finally, it was the smell of a new challenge that lured Ronaldo to the Old Lady. Real’s unwillingness to declare him as the best ever was his final motivation. “They always put me behind Di Stéfano,” said a vexed Ronaldo. “I do not know what else I have to do.”
