Agnelli: Ronaldo a superhero

By Football Italia staff

Andrea Agnelli has leapt to Cristiano Ronaldo’s defence, hailing the Juventus forward as a ‘superhero for children around the world’.

Ronaldo’s reputation has been brought into disrepute after allegations of rape, but Agnelli made it clear Juve’s opinion of the No 7 remained intact.

“It was the first time that the two souls of the club merged for the investment of a single player,” he said from the Festival of Sport in Trento.

“In sporting terms, an important added value was signed, and seeing him every day confirms it, plus commercially speaking, Ronaldo facilitates worldwide exposure.

“Children around the world want to see superheroes, and he’s one of them. In addition, it allows us to fill an Italian gap: the distribution of Italian games and rights around the world.

“Juve, however, aren’t just Ronaldo. We’re a collective and CR7 is the cherry on something that was built one piece after another, with patience, intelligence and much more.

“Juve’s growth must be evaluated from 2010 to today: it’s easy to say ‘ah, but Juve can’, but we must remember where it all started.

“Did I play football? Only with friends. We had a small tournament between us. I was a player with spirit. I had to compensate for not having that much technique.

“Like Chiellini? Yes, in some ways. I was a defender who went in hard. I think I was even sent off as a schoolboy!”

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