Cristiano Ronaldo to join Italian football club Juventus, Real Madrid announces

Five-time World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo has signed for Italian champions Juventus from Real Madrid, the La Liga club said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ronaldo, who joined Real from Manchester United in 2008 for a then world record 80 million pounds ($106.27 million), is the Spanish club's all-time top scorer with 451 goals in all competitions and won two La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies with them.

"For Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo will always be one of its greatest symbols and a unique reference for the generations to come," European champions Real said, adding that Ronaldo had asked to be transferred. "Real Madrid will always be his home".

Early Tuesday evening, Juventus released a 192-word statement, revealing the transfer fee amount to be 100 million euros, payable to Madrid over two years, as well as 12 million euros in add-ons and as a solidarity fee to the clubs that played a part in Ronaldo's development. .

The Portugal international scored two goals against Juventus in Real's 4-1 win in the 2017 Champions League final and, earlier this season, struck a jaw-dropping bicycle kick against the Italian side in a 3-0 win in a quarter-final first-leg game in Turin which prompted Juve supporters to give him a standing ovation.

The Portuguese, 33, converted a stoppage-time penalty in the second leg to knock the Italians out 4-3 on aggregate.

The signing of the latest Ballon d'Or winner and top scorer in the Champions League for the last six seasons represents a major coup for Juve, who have had a stranglehold on the Italian title since 2012 but have not won Europe's top prize since 1996.

The signing also strikes a blow for the profile of Serie A against La Liga, which has now lost two of its three most famous players in the last year after Paris St Germain signed Neymar from Barcelona last August.

After helping Madrid to another UEFA Champions League title win in 2018, Ronaldo had hinted at a potential move away from the Spanish capital. A tax evasion case against him, filed by the Spanish authorities in July 2017, made life difficult amid media speculation that his presence at the club was holding back a lot of talented players like Isco, Asensio and Gareth Bale.

Ronaldo's move to Juventus could have far-reaching consequences on the football transfer market. Madrid now that face the task of replacing their reliable goal machine with another reliable goal machine. Lukaku and Kane could be potential targets. Liverpool winger Sadio Mane has already been linked to the Spanish giants.

At Juventus as well, things are likely to change rapidly. Gonzalo Higuain, who left Madrid to escape the shadow of Ronaldo, and established himself in the Serie A, first with Napoli and then with Juventus, will now have the unenviable task of trying to beat Ronaldo for a starting role. He could seek a move as well. Dybala, however, might benefit from Ronaldo's new striker role and have a chance to play as a pure number 10 behind him.

(With inputs from Reuters)