Cristiano Ronaldo secured a lucrative $113 million contract to transfer to Turin-based Serie A winners Juventus late last summer, and has since expressed a wish that Barcelona star Lionel Messi would follow in his footsteps, referring to his own switch as a life-changing challenge.
Swedish star forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has called Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus “bulls***”, asserting that it is by far not a challenge.
“Cristiano is talking about new challenges, he calls it a challenge to move to a club where it is already normal to win the Serie A”, The Express cited the 37-year-old as saying. He went on to wonder why Ronaldo hadn’t chosen a second division club several years ago, but mentioned Lionel Messi instead.
Ibrahimovic, who has won high-ranking titles in Holland, Spain, France, as well grabbed a domestic Cup and the Europe League in the UK, chose to give a tip to Ronaldo:
“Try to become a champion with such a second-division champion and lead them to the highest level, which is a challenge”, Ibrahimovic said.
After Ronaldo accomplished his much debated move to Turin, to the applause of Juventus’ fans, he billed it a challenge and called on Lionel Messi to follow suit and “accept the challenge”.
“I’ve played in England, Spain, Italy, Portugal and for my national team, while he’s still in Spain”, the Portuguese star said at the beginning of December, adding that Messi “maybe needs me more”. He shared that he viewed his life as a challenge, which he likes, along with “making people happy”. “He’s a fantastic player and a good guy, but I don’t miss anything here. This is my new life and I’m happy”, Ronaldo summed up.
“I’d like him to come to Italy one day. I hope he accepts the challenge like me, but if he’s happy there then I respect that”, he noted, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Having spent a total of nine seasons in Spain, five-time Ballon d’Or champion Cristiano Ronaldo signed a $113 million contract to transfer to Serie A winners Juventus this past summer. He has since made a successful start as part of the Italian squad, having already scored 15 goals in 25 appearances. WhoScored.com rates the former Madrid and Manchester United player as the best in Italy this season.
Juventus have been the dominant force in Serie A for years on end, with their high-profile Italian league title win in the 2017-2018 season becoming their seventh in succession and Bienconeri having even greater hopes for upcoming matches, after Ronaldo joined their ranks.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
