Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini admits he assumed a deal to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Turin from Real Madrid was “impossible”.
There were early reports Ronaldo was keen on a move to the Serie A champions after he cast doubt over his Real future in the immediate aftermath of their Champions League final win over Liverpool in May.
Chiellini was not optimistic a deal for Ronaldo, who trained with his new team-mates in Turin for the first time on Tuesday, would be completed, but believes he will transform the title-winning side.
“[The first time I heard about Ronaldo], I said to my friends, ‘Nah, it’s impossible,'” Chiellini told ESPN in an exclusive interview ahead of Wednesday’s MLS All-Star game. “After one day, [I thought] maybe it is possible.
“With our manager, with our director … it’s a reality. Juventus is growing … year after year, and we need a champion like Cristiano.
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“We are excited, we are ready to work with him; all the parts of the club, the players, the marketing manager, the director, are ready to improve with Cristiano and we hope he can help us to achieve our target.”
Ronaldo trained with the group of players who played in the latter stages of the World Cup in Russia, while the remainder of the squad are currently on their pre-season tour of the USA.
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