Cristiano Ronaldo has done it again! Different country, same result: a domestic title for the Portuguese superstar.
With
Juventus having clinched the Scudetto with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina on
Saturday, Ronaldo has become the first man to win Europe’s three major
leagues: Serie A, La Liga and the Premier League.
The
significance of this latest success will, of course, be debated.
Firstly, it has arrived just four days after a demoralising Champions
League elimination at the hands of a far more exciting but far less
expensively assembled Ajax side.
In addition, this is Juve’s
eighth consecutive Scudetto, won with fivegames to spare. At no point
did it look like they wouldn’t retain their crown.
They were
heavy favourites even before they signed Ronaldo from Madrid last
summer. The arrival of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner merely made the
probable inevitable.
Indeed, Antonio Cassano even claimed
Ronaldo’s signing had secured the Scudetto until 2022, when the
forward’s Juve contract is due to expire.
Ronaldo, though, felt he
should be commended for broadening his horizons once again, even using
his latest transfer as an opportunity to take a shot at his great rival,
Lionel Messi, who looks increasingly likely to spend his entire career
at Barcelona.
“I’ve played in England, Spain, Italy, Portugal and for my national team, while he’s still in Spain,” said Ronaldo.
“Maybe he needs me more. For me, life is a challenge. I like it and I like to make people happy.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic wasn’t, though.
The
Swedish striker – who has won titles in four countries (Netherlands,
Italy, Spain and France) – took umbrage with the idea that Ronaldo’s
Madrid departure was motivated by a desire to test himself in another
league.
“Ronaldo talks about challenges but he decided to go to a
club who have been winning the Serie A title with their eyes closed!”
Ibra legitimately pointed out.
“Why did he not choose a club from
a second division a few years ago? Try to become a champion with such a
second-division [club] and lead them to the highest level.
“Moving to Juventus is not a challenge at all.”
Certainly, this season’s Serie A success wasn’t in the least bit taxing – either for Ronaldo or Juve.
They
have been the outright leaders from match day two, winning 16 of their
opening 17 fixtures to put the title race to bed by Christmas.
Indeed, their haul of 53 points from a possible 58 represented a new record for the halfway point of a Serie A season.
What’s
more, Juve haven’t even played particularly well. They have been in
cruise control for most of the campaign, playing effective but
uninspired football, winning just five games by three goals or more.
It has been a sterile dominance. They have been nowhere near their best because they haven’t had to be.
They
managed to beat Inter and Milan at home, and Napoli away, despite
performing poorly. That’s how poor the level of competition has been for
them.
Ronaldo has been predictably effective, with 19 goals, but
he is only fourth in the Capocannoniere standings, three strikes behind
36-year-old top scorer Fabio Quagliarella, who is likely to be named
player of the season for being the story of the season.
The
19-year-old Moise Kean, meanwhile, has arguably been the revelation of
Juve’s campaign, not least because it’s hard to think of anyone else who
has surpassed expectations.
Giorgio Chiellini has been his
characteristically consistent self, and was sorely missed in the
decisive Champions League quarter-final second leg against Ajax, while
Wojciech Szczesny has proven a reliable replacement for Gianluigi
Buffon.
The rest of their team-mates, though, have sparkled only occasionally.
Mario
Mandzukic was a monster during the first half of the season but has
faded since the turn of the year, while Paulo Dybala has played only in
fits and starts and is no longer a guaranteed starter.
It’s not
as if they were saving themselves for Europe either – Juve turned in
only two impressive performances in the Champions League before being
dumped out by Ajax: the 1-0 win at Manchester United in the group
stages; and the exhilarating 3-0 second-leg victory over Atletico Madrid
in the last 16.
Ronaldo was, of course, the star of the show
that night in Turin and, in truth, it is at that level that the true
value of his transfer will be determined.
Just like Neymar, he
left Spain to play for a team where domestic titles are taken for
granted. Both moves will be ultimately judged on results in Europe.
Becoming
the first man to win a league in a third different country is
undoubtedly a commendable achievement for Ronaldo – it demonstrates
versatility and a willingness to experience a new club, new team-mates
and a new environment – but, given Serie A’s painful lack of
competition, it does little to strengthen Ronaldo’s claim on the title
of the greatest of all time.
Winning the Champions League with a
third different team – one that hasn’t lifted the European Cup since
1996 – well, that is the real challenge.
Pass that particular
test and Ronaldo’s case to be considered the greatest will be
compelling. Unlike Serie A, though, it’s not going to be easy.
Source:- Todayng
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