Juventus’ signing of Cristiano Ronaldo has faced some backlash, but the overall reaction in Italy has been positive.
Reaction to Ronaldo Serie A arrival
Cristiano Ronaldo was officially unveiled as a Juventus player yesterday, a move which could symbolize the beginning of a new era for Italian football. While there are plenty of people who fear his arrival would make Seria A monotonous, there are also many who believe the league will prosper in the long run. Former AC Milan player and Brazilian great Kaka is one of those people. He opts to be optimistic and sees Ronaldo’s acquisition as an opportunity for Milan to learn and grow.
“I prefer to see the positive side”
“This thing has to be an example for Milan. Even with a negative period, it’s possible to become great again.”
While Juventus have been able to rebound and rebuild after the 2006 scandal which rocked the football world even though they were the only team relegated to Serie B, Milan has struggled. Their last Champions League qualification was back in 2012/13 and their best league finish since that time was sixth (in the past two seasons).
Kaka also believes Italian football must take advantage of the Portuguese’s star power.
“Cristiano Ronaldo brings many good things to Italian football; media, sponsors and supporters keen to see him and Italian teams.
“For Italian football, it’s the moment to take advantage of this player.”
Former AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi, who finally left the club in 2017, is less enthusiastic about Milan’s future but agrees Ronaldo’s arrival will be good for Italian football.
“As a Milan fan, [the signing of Ronaldo] will have a terrible impact.”
“But, really, the arrival of an absolute champion like Cristiano Ronaldo to Serie A is good news.”
“Not only for Juventus, but for all of Italian football.”
Napoli’s new manager Carlo Ancelotti is another person who loves Ronaldo’s decision to come to Italy.
“His arrival to play in Serie A is good for Italian football, not just for Juventus. He will motivate us to work even harder.”
Fiat workers protest Ronaldo signing
Not everyone is as happy about Juventus’ business as they are. Ronaldo is coming over in a €100 million transfer fee and will be paid over €500,000 per week for the duration of his four-year contract. Those are staggering numbers which do not sit well with Fiat workers.
“It is unacceptable that while the [owners] ask workers of FCA… for huge economic sacrifices for years, the same decide to spend hundreds of millions of euros for the purchase of a player,” the union said in a statement, adding that “the owners should invest in car models” that serve the needs of thousands of people “rather than enriching only one.”
Fiat is a company owned by Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli. Factory workers and union activists have protested the decision vigorously, with strikes and demonstrations planned across Italy for the next few days.
Juventus sell over half a million Ronaldo shirts in 24 hours
While they’re demonstrating, others are already benefiting from Ronaldo’s transfer. Over 500,000 Ronaldo shirts were sold in the first 24 hours of their release, earning the club around €35 million. Shop owners in Turin are making ice-cream flavours and pizzas named CR7 , not wasting any time to profit on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
