Cristiano Ronaldo netted two goals as Juventus attempted to advance in the Champions League against Lyon on Friday but his side still failed to make the cut. The Portuguese took to social media and expressed disappointment that the Turin club fell short of expectations.
In his Instagram post, the Juve striker took note that club supporters were the ones saddened by the failure to win the Champions League, and that the team has to do better in the campaigns to come.
"The fans demand more from us. They expect more from us. And we have to deliver, we must live up to the highest expectations," Metro reported Ronaldo as saying.
The post somehow signified the superstar's dismay about the loss, which came following his record 37 goals in the season for Juventus. While the team retained the Serie A title, which is No. 9 for the Italian giants, the defeat against Lyon denied Ronaldo the chance to win his sixth Champions League title.
And the five-time Ballon d'Or winner can only hope that Juventus will do better next season.
He wrote: "May this short vacation break allow us all to make the best decisions for the future and come back stronger and more committed than ever."
Strangely, the same report noted that Ronaldo skipped even a mention of Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri, who sacked over the weekend in favor of Andrea Pirlo. The omission further heightened the speculations that all is not well between the Juve star and the departing club boss.
Also, Ronaldo's disenchantment with the Italian side only fired up the rumors that he could be out of Turin by next season. Should that be the course that the Portuguese is taking, his next destination is thought to be the French capital.
Citing media reports in France, Sport Bible said Ronaldo's current state of disillusionment with Juventus could lead to a summer exit. The star is tipped to sign up with Paris Saint-Germain, which the report said Ronaldo had intended to join up with before the COVID-19 outbreak in March.
The switch makes sense for Ronaldo if indeed he is gunning to win another UCL title before the end of an illustrious career. The Parisians are touted as a solid contender to win the Champions League in the seasons to come with an explosive roster led by Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
If Ronaldo would end up with the side of Thomas Tuchel, the chance is high that PSG will dominate Europe.
Still, Juventus chief Andrea Agnelli is not convinced that Ronaldo will abandon the Italians and insisted that the talks of the star's imminent exit are mere media hype. Agnelli said the striker, who has two years to run on his contract, will "remain a pillar of Juventus," in the seasons to come.
