Cristiano Ronaldo had high hopes; apparently one of them was collecting more Ballon d'Or titles when he switched sides from Real Madrid to Juventus in 2018. Reports said Ronaldo ended up disappointed when Luka Modric got the honor last year, and Lionel Messi was voted the 2019 winner.
Now, it seemed the Portuguese have been pouring out his true sentiments openly with former Real Madrid teammates. It dawned on him that the chance was higher of getting his sixth Ballon had he remained at Santiago Bernabeu.
"Ronaldo has told several former Real Madrid team-mates that he regrets leaving the Spanish giants for Juventus and believes he would have won the 2018 and 2019 Ballon d'Or," the report from Sky Sports said.
In the year of Ronaldo's exit from Real, it appeared he made the right decision. Out of 43 appearances in all competitions, his first year with Bianconeri saw him scoring 28 goals and figuring in 10 assists. He finished the term as the Italian club's No. 1 scoring machine.
However, the ongoing season is less than sterling for the former Real, according to Fox Sports. Ronaldo has been seen in 17 games and has scored 8 goals. And in the final tally of the Ballon polling, the forward was only listed at No. 3.
It seemed now that Ronaldo is unable to hide his frustrations anymore following the transfer that shocked the football world last year and cost Juventus €112 million for the deal to push through. If the rumors are correct, the 34-year-old superstar seemed resigned that a Ballon honor is already a remote possibility for him.
His words, although unconfirmed, appeared to indicate as well that his stay with Juventus will not lead to personal triumphs.
It is noteworthy that disappointment is nothing new for Ronaldo while playing for Juventus. The Turin club made it through the quarterfinals of the Champions League in the season that the Portuguese first played. The Bianconeri, however, exited the early courtesy of Ajax.
His only consolation was Juve completed the season as the Serie A champion, according to Legit.
Overall though, Ronaldo is acknowledged as one of the most successful athletes of his generation and widely considered to be among the greatest footballers of all time. The Portuguese own numerous titles playing for fabled clubs, including Manchester United, where he collected nine trophies.
Per the same report by Legit, the decision by Ronaldo to join Juventus and leave Real Madrid was disapproved by his manager Jorge Mendes, but eventually, the superstar had the last say on the matter.
