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".
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