Nedved: 'Ronaldo wanted Juventus'

By Football Italia staff

Pavel Nedved described how Juventus got Cristiano Ronaldo for their Champions League ambitions. “Some might have thought it crazy…”

The €100m plus transfer shocked the football world this summer, as the Ballon d’Or winner left the reigning Champions League holders Real Madrid to join Juve.

“We are very happy that we could welcome to our team such a world class player like Ronaldo,” Nedved told Czech paper idnes.cz, as translated by juvefc.com.

“As a club we have made a step forward and we want to make it count in the Champions League, which has been set as our objective in the next few years.

“Some might have thought it was crazy… We, Juventus, are in position where it is very difficult to buy players who are better than those in our XI.

“Our sporting director once said that we could buy Ronaldo. We had known about his buy-out clause which had been lowered to €100m, so it became more realistic. We had to go see the President, who looked at the deal from all aspects and eventually gave his agreement.

“It was the right decision to get Juventus where the club belongs. We want to win the Champions League, so it was a good move.”

Nedved was asked how difficult it was to convince Ronaldo to make the switch to Turin, but he confirmed the reports that CR7 was effectively offered to them.

“It was a lot easier given the fact he wanted join us. He wanted a change of environment and to leave Madrid. He has chosen our club and it is an honour for us. He managed to win in England and in Spain and we would be very happy if he can repeat it in Italy. We will give our all.

“When the idea was first suggested, we looked at each other and then at the President (Andrea Agnelli). Maybe (director Fabio) Paratici was expecting him to say that we were crazy.

“I’ve told Agnelli that it is the right move, that our team would take a step forward. We’ve won 7 titles in a row. Whether you want to, or not, the motivation level drops. When you have the opportunity to change something, you do it. This was perfectly timed for us.”

Although he has played in all three Serie A games so far, Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to find the back of the net.

“He is amazing from all aspects. He is a player who is working very hard on himself. He is a leader, he doesn’t even have to speak and the players follow him,” continued Nedved.

“Our youngsters have the opportunity to train with him and get even better. Cristiano is a normal guy who loves to win and wants to be the best at everything.

“He asked me about how it works in Italy and what he can expect. It’s far more difficult to score goals here and I think he has figured that out already. However, it is only a matter of time before he starts scoring.

“He has won five Ballon D’Ors, yet during training it looks like he has just began his career. It’s fantastic to see him train, he always looks for a way to improve himself. It’s very positive, especially for young players who see their example every day.”

Watch Serie A live in the UK on Premier Sports for just £9.99 per month including live LaLiga, Eredivisie, Scottish Cup Football and more. Visit: https://www.premiersports.com/subscribenow