Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday joined
Turin giants Juventus from Spanish giants Real Madrid in a
four-year deal worth a total of 112 million euros.
"The time has come to pursue a new path in my life and for
this reason I asked Real Madrid to accept my sale", said the
33-year-old Portugal great, who will reportedly get 30 million
euros a year.
In a long note on Real's site, he said "Real won my heart
and I will never stop saying thank you: but I thought long and
hard and I know it is time to start a new cycle".
Real, for its part, said, "in accordance with the wishes of
the player", it had reached a deal with Juve.
Ronaldo "will always be one of the great symbols for Real
and a unique reference for the next generations: Real will
always be his home".
The striker is moving for a total of 112 million euros - 100
in two tranches to Real plus additional fees and a FIFA
solidarity fee totalling 12 million euros.
Juve posted the hashtag #WelcomeToJu, Cristiano! on its
website.
Team mate Paulo Dybala said "welcome Cristiano" and Sami
Khedira said "it's a great day".
Former Roma skipper Francesco Totti said he was "happy to see
him in Italy".
Former Juve boss Fabio Capello said "compliments to
(President Andrea) Agnelli, I didn't believe it".
Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) chief Giovanni Malagò said
"world-class players improve the system".
Lega Serie A chief Gaetano Miccichè said the deal was "a
historic operation not only for Juve and the city of Turin but
also for Italian sport".
The KPMG accountancy firm said Ronaldo could be worth 130
million euros in increased earnings.
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