Ronaldo opening the scoring in first-half stoppage time, before missing the chance to double his tally from the penalty spot late in the game.

The 35-year-old has now been part of two title successes in Italy to add to the five league winners’ medals he claimed in England (3) and Spain (2).

Read on as we take a closer look at the latest state-of-play for Ronaldo in Italy and assess what the future may hold for the Portuguese international star.

Juve Eager to Double Up in the Champions League

Winning Serie A has become the norm for Juve over the past few years, but that has not been the case where the Champions League is concerned.

Many of the best football podcasts in the world have predicted that they will suffer more misery this season, with the new Serie A champions currently priced at 16/1 to lift the trophy.

Juve must overcome a 1-0 deficit against Lyon to reach the quarter-finals and Ronaldo will be keen to make amends in that game after spurning numerous chances in the first meeting.

With Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona also in their half of the draw, Juve have an extremely tough task on their hands to end their 24-year Champions League drought.

Ronaldo Going Nowhere This Summer

With Ronaldo reaching the latter stages of his glittering career, there has been ongoing speculation over whether he will remain with Juve next season.

However, the club’s sporting director Fabio Paratici recently confirmed there was no chance that Ronaldo would be leaving Italy this summer.

“There is a very normal dialogue with Cristiano, as between coaches and players – he is super convinced of staying and is doing very well with us,” he said.

It would be a big surprise if Ronaldo did leave Juve at this point, particularly with the club in with a chance of making it 10 Serie A titles in a row next term.

MLS on the Cards for Ronaldo’s Swansong

Ronaldo has previously hinted that he would like to play in Major League Soccer before he retires and it is now just a question of when that will happen.

Orlando City’s Nani recently told ESPN that his former Manchester United and international teammate would ‘probably’ end up in MLS and he is likely to have the inside track on the situation.

Helping Juve win their tenth successive title would certainly be a fitting way to end his stay in Italy and leave Ronaldo with enough time to make his mark in the MLS.

Former United and England star David Beckham has previously said he would love to bring Ronaldo to his Inter Miami franchise and that is perhaps his most likely future destination.

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Having already won the Italian title 8 times in a row, Juventus are outright Serie A betting favourites at 1/2 odds, with Inter Milan at 7/4 tipped as the only genuine contender capable of preventing that from happening. There has been plenty of speculation that winning the Champions League remains the top priority, although it’s difficult to imagine the Zebras relinquishing their stranglehold of the Scudetto so easily.

Many had the fixture against Sassuolo down as another comfortable win for Juventus, especially given they’d already won all their home games this season, while the visitors had never even gained a point in previous away encounters against the home side. In the end, the outcome proved to be one of the most surprising results amongst the 14th round of fixtures in Serie A, as the reigning champions showed some signs of defensive vulnerability.

Although the Sassuolo made a courageously bright start, Juventus were comfortably able to deal with their early threats at the Allianz Stadium. Gonzalo Higuain had already prodded one good chance wide of the post, before captain and defender Leonardo Bonucci didn’t waste his opportunity to fire Juventus into the lead after 20 minutes, scoring his second Serie A goal of the season.

However, that lead lasted barely two minutes before Sassuolo responded, as Francesco Caputo nutmegged Alex Sandro and Jeremie Boga exquisitely chipped his finish over Gianluigi Buffon, levelling the game at 1-1. It’s fair to say that Juventus were clearly shaken by that goal from the former Chelsea man, yet they swiftly set about piling on the pressure. Higuain and Rodrigo Bentancur were unable to convert good chances, while quite uncharacteristically, Cristiano Ronaldo was somewhat anonymous.

Disaster struck early in the second half for Juventus with poor defending their undoing, as Caputo once again proved a thorn in the side, capitalising on poor defending by Matthijs de Ligt to give Sassoulo the lead again, placing a weak finish beyond Gianluigi Buffon. The vastly experienced Italian goalkeeper should have done much better, and he knew it, although he had also been left horribly exposed.

Forced to shuffle his pack, Maurizio Sarri replaced Federico Bernardeschi and Emre Can, neither of whom had impressed in the slightest, sending on Paulo Dybala and Blaise Matuidi to turn things around. Ronaldo also stepped his performance up a gear or two, eventually finding the back of the net with an hour on the clock. However, in the midst of his celebrations, the Portuguese superstar hadn’t noticed the flag raised on the touchline for offside.

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Nevertheless, there was no denying CR7 his moment of glory just eight minutes later. Dybala proving his introduction from the bench was timely, earning Juventus a penalty in the 68th minute after being felled by Sassoulo defender Filippo Romagna. With absolutely no hesitation who would assume responsibility, Ronaldo successfully converted the spot-kick, much to the relief of his side and the home fans.

Despite being beaten twice, debuting 18-year-old Sassoulo keeper Stefano Turati was having an excellent game, and he denied Dybala what could have been the winner for Juventus. Miralem Pjanic also powered a free-kick just over the crossbar, while Aaron Ramsey had a great opportunity to clinch the points to send Juve back to the top of Serie A before Ronaldo shot wide with the last chance of the game.

Although Ronaldo will be disappointed with his own performance and Juventus being held to a draw, he did save the blushes of his side earlier in the game. Not too shabby, considering this was his return to domestic action, having suffered a bruised knee against Milan earlier in the month. Returning with a goal will lift everyone’s spirits, having now notched his first since the end of October.

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Virgil van Dijk

No defender has won the Ballon d’Or since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, however, there has to be a strong chance that Virgil van Dijk will be the next to do so this year as he has been outstanding for Liverpool, helping them to Champions League success.

Van Dijk is arguably the best defender in the world right now and he has made a huge difference to Jurgen Klopp’s side, who lead the way in the Premier League and look on course for another big season domestically and in Europe. The Dutchman was awarded the Man of the Match award in the Champions League final last June in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Spurs and his side are prominent in the Champions League betting at 11/2 to defend their crown once again this season.

Lionel Messi

Messi was awarded the FIFA Player of the Year award last month which could be a clue in how the Ballon d’Or will work out in December. During the 2018/19 campaign, the Barcelona forward scored 54 goals in 58 games, helping his side to La Liga success. Unfortunately for the Argentine, his national team were eliminated from Copa America by Brazil in the semi-final, while in the Champions League, Barca were beaten by Liverpool over two-legs in the semi-final. Given his goalscoring record in Europe, Messi is sure to be in contention for the Ballon d’Or once again this year.

Sadio Mane

Liverpool’s Sadio Mane has established himself as one of the leading forward players in Europe over the last few years. Mane is part of the trio of forward players which have had so much success at Liverpool, with the other two being Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino.

Mane scored 26 goals in all competitions last season, 22 of which came in the Premier League where he was joint-goalscorer at the end of the campaign. The Senegal international could be set to top that number in this latest season as he already has eight goals in 11 games. Mane has had the backing of a number of current and former players, including PSG captain Thiago Silva, who thinks the Liverpool man should win the award this year.

Cristiano Ronaldo

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It is no surprise that Cristiano Ronaldo is on the shortlist for the Ballon d’Or once again. The five-time winner has been a real hit in Italy for Juventus where he won Serie A in his first season with the Italian club. Ronaldo scored 28 goals last season and recently bagged his 700th goal for either club or country, an incredible record. If he does win scoop the Ballon d’Or this year, he will become the first player to win the award six times.

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Despite dominating the Serie A in winning the Italian title consecutively for the past eight seasons, Juventus have struggled to get past the final hurdle in the Champions League. Many felt the club-record fee move for Cristiano Ronaldo, which exponentially improved their popularity, would be the icing on top to take them to Europe’s pinnacle.

However, last season the Bianconeri were in for a rude awakening after losing to a young AFC Ajax side in the quarter-finals in a tie where they comfortably had the best betting odds of the knockout stages. They decided to let go off manager Massimiliano Allegri, with Sarri coming in to usher in a new era for the reigning Serie A champions. However, his start to the new job has been rather topsy-turvy so far.

Indeed, the Bianconeri were displaced off the top of Serie A after a drab draw at Fiorentina, allowing Inter Milan to go top for the first time since matchday 16 of the 2016/17 season! The Italian has urged his side to be more aggressive with their style, but his “Sarriball” still needs time to perfectly get tuned in at Juventus.

However, time is not on his side at the Serie A defending champions. There’s a need for immediate results in the huge expectations from Italy’s best side, with winning the Champions League being at number one. They still have the best betting odds for winning the league thanks to their history and sheer squad quality, but aren’t considered in the top 3-4 sides expected to win top European competition this season. Now, Juventus fans would probably swap a season of not winning the league title for winning the Champions League, but that won’t come easy.

Europe’s pinnacle is packed with world-class oppositions and Juventus’ surrendering a 2-0 lead at Atletico Madrid provided early worrying signs. Their captain Giorgio Chiellini is still out for a lengthy period, while their attack doesn’t look the most compelling either. While Aaron Ramsey’s brought that attacking bite with his clinical nature in the final third, Adrien Rabiot’s yet to properly implement himself into the side.

Sarri has done a remarkable job in improving the ageing stars like Gonzalo Higuain, Blaise Matuidi and Sami Khedira, but he must trust younger legs to handle the Champions League’s intensity going forward. Cristiano Ronaldo will probably be a man on a mission after watching Lionel Messi win another FIFA’s The Best award, as Sarri must revolve his attack around the Portuguese.

Regardless of his age, Ronaldo is still a game-changer with his decisive strikes and will only get better as the season progresses. If Juventus can get the best out of him, hold a strong defensive line with Matthijs De Ligt and Leonardo Bonnucci and bring more urgency to their game, winning the Champions League would be a stark reality this season.

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Many modern-day legends of the game start losing their ability to perform at the highest level and many, including Ronaldo’s former boss Zinedine Zidane, actually retired at his age. Ronaldo, however, will be unlikely to retire anytime soon at least and currently does not have any plans to quit the game. He is still as hungry as he was ten years ago to compete at the highest level and win major trophies on both a club and international level. One can assume that based on the way he is going, Ronaldo will probably only quit playing the game after the age of 40.

The following are two realistic scenarios for the legendary CR7 to retire.

1. Once Cristiano Jr starts playing

Ronaldo Jr is now nine years old and is showing tremendous ability. If he carries on progressing the way that he is currently doing, he should eventually become a professional just like his father. Indeed, the youngster has shown so much promise that many bookmakers have him at odds as short as 100/1 to one day follow in his father’s footsteps by winning the Ballon d’Or. While the scenario may sound outside the realm of possibility, it may be worth backing by using one of many betting promo codes in order to find the best free bet offer. Many of the greats of the game turn professional when they are 16 years old. Based on this, Ronaldo Jr could possibly turn professional in 2026.

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His father will be 41 years old at that time. It is hard to see Ronaldo being as strong a player as he is now at that age but he could possibly still be good enough to make a cameo appearance off the bench. The likes of Teddy Sheringham, Paulo Maldini, Javier Zanetti and Francesco Totti all retired at a similar age. It would be a fitting end to Ronaldo’s career to bow out by playing alongside his son and thus paving the way for a new era.

2. Once he eventually loses his touch

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Ronaldo still is a world-class player but unfortunately, he is now at an age where his body will be more unpredictable and it could in the worst scenario become difficult for him to continue performing at an elite level. CR7 could potentially just decide that it is time to hang up his boots once he notices that his body can no longer cope with other young talents in world football.

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Cristiano Ronaldo is one of those individuals that can be the deciding factor in a game. There were a lot of games where his performance led to a goal which made Juventus come out victorious. One of those examples is the Champions League rematch vs. Atletico Madrid, where he single-handedly destroyed the team. He scored a vital hat-trick which led Juventus to the next knockout stage with a final aggregate score of 3-2 (Juventus lost the first match 2-0).

Players like him are fan favorites, and everybody wants to see him play. That is why Juventus were a subject of criticism lately after Ronaldo was benched in a friendly game and he wasn’t substituted on.

Ronaldo’s Odds for Next Season

There were a lot of doubts when it came to Ronaldo succeeding in Serie A. but, he proved them all wrong. Let’s check out some of his odds for next season.

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the favorites when it comes to being the top goal-scorer in the Champions League next season. His odds are 33/5. He is also the number one contender to be the top goal-scorer in Serie A with odds coming at 13/8. As far as Ballon d’Or, he is in the top 4, and his odds are 12/1.

A lot of the games which had Ronaldo score, had 2 goals on average. That is a good sign that you can bet on certain games on over/under total goals, depending if he is in the starting XI or not. These types of bets can be profitable and there are a lot of articles that can help you if you want to learn how to bet on over/under betting and boost your winnings. For example, Juventus have a friendly match with Atletico Madrid coming up. The odds for under 1.5 goals are 11/4, and the odds for over 1.5 goals 1/4.

Since we mentioned that every game that had Ronaldo in the starting team featured 2 goals on average, the closest odds are over/under 2.5 goals. The odds for under 2.5 goals are 1/1, while the odds for the game to have over 2.5 goals are 4/5.

Without any further ado, let’s take a look at Ronaldo’s 2018/2019 season by the numbers and see just how much he contributed for Juventus.

Overview

During the summer of 2018, Ronaldo completed an unexpected move from Real Madrid to Juventus for €100 million, the highest fee ever for a player over 30. In his first season, he managed to score 28 goals and assist another 10 in the total of 43 games he played. He played, scored, and assisted in Serie A, Champions League, Supercoppa Italiana, and Coppa Italia.

Stats

During the Champions League, Ronaldo played 9 matches and all of them were in the starting team. He was not substituted on or off. He had one suspension by a red card against BSC Young Boys. He scored 6 goals and assisted 2.

In the Serie A, Ronaldo was dominating as a player who is having a debut season. He played a total of 32 matches. He was in the starting XI in 30 out of the 32 matches. He was substituted on once, against Atalanta, on December 26, 2018, in the 65th minute of the match. He was substituted off once as well, against Fiorentina in the 80th minute of the match on December 1, 2018.

He missed the remaining 6 matches against Empoli, Cagliari, and Milan from March 17 – April 6, 2019 due to hamstring injury, and was rested in the matches against Genoa, SPAL, and Sampdoria in the second half of the season. He scored 21 goals and assisted another 8.

When it comes to Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, Cristiano Ronaldo was in the squad for a total of 3 matches in the 2 competitions. He was in the starting XI for the Supercoppa Italiana and scored the deciding goal against Milan. As far as Coppa Italia, he played the two matches. He was substituted on in the first game against Bologna in the 62nd minute and played the full 90 minutes against Atalanta.

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It wasn’t just a packed suitcase and a burning desire to succeed that Kean left Italy with, but also the blueprint to Ronaldo’s success stored in his brain, as the 19-year-old admitted to having stolen the Portuguese superstar’s secrets. The teenager has spent the 2018/2019 season watching Ronaldo in training and making sure he uses his time as a teammate of the world’s greatest player wisely.

OFFICIAL: Everton confirm the signing of Moise Kean from Juventus on a five-year deal pic.twitter.com/BsuHmNmWA4

— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 4, 2019

It turns out that was a beneficial practice to adhere to after Juventus accepted Everton’s bid for the teenage wonderkid, but Kean leaves having received the greatest education any apprentice can get in the game, having spent his formative years with Ronaldo. It doesn’t take too much imagination to think that Moise Kean will be prolific in the Premier League sooner rather than later and really, all things considered, Everton have probably carried out the best bit of transfer business across the whole of Europe with the signing of the Italian.

This has prompted a few grumbles in Turin with a section of the support bemoaning the fact Juve looked to cash in on a man who has two goals in three games for the national team and is the first-ever player born in the millennium to play in the Champions League. There is a growing feeling that the club is sacrificing future prospects in order to win the Champions League whilst Ronaldo is still able to produce his magic.

You can see how this strategy would leave a few of the more long term thinkers a bit anxious. In the same breath, their fears would be quashed quite quickly after a glance at the domestic odds in football betting and seeing Juve at a mere 4/9 to win Serie A. Obviously, romping to the league title for the ninth time in a row is enough for anyone to enjoy the here and now but the future will arrive one day.

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On the other hand, at 34-years-old, Ronaldo doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon and you can see how the roll of the dice may well pay off in the end but at the business end of the competition, the margins are so fine and the opposition clinical.

Sadly but not unexpectedly, there won’t be any Champions League football for young Moise Kean this season. Kean will look to establish himself in the Premier League over time but having observed the great Ronaldo for the last 12 months, there’s every chance he will turn England’s top flight on its head as he brings a bit of that adopted Portuguese flair to the city of Liverpool.

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Ronaldo finished as the Old Lady of Italian football’s top goal scorer last season after having scored 21 goals from 31 games. This is a very impressive tally to have gained in the defensive-minded Italian league. There is not much doubt that Ronaldo is capable of shining in any league that he plays in.

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Winning the Champions League with Juve his next target

Despite approaching the latter years of his career, Ronaldo remains as hungry as ever for success and there is no doubt that he will be aiming to lead Juve to Europe’s premier club competition, the one major trophy that has eluded Italy’s dominant football club. The one major setback which Ronaldo experienced last season was the shock elimination of Juventus from the Champions League during the quarter-final by Ajax. This may just end up costing him the Ballon d’Or award.

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Ronaldo’s contract with Juve is valid for three years and this means that it will be due to expire at the end of the 2020-21 season, by which time he will be 36. Barring a massive decline in form, it appears unlikely at this stage that Ronaldo will hang up his boots by then; he will surely want to go to the 2022 World Cup with Portugal. United have been a shadow of the club that they once were since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. It would be fitting that CR7 return to the club that helped make him a star and perhaps even end his career there. Perhaps, he can inspire them back to winning ways?

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Let’s go through the stats first. Ronaldo guided Juventus to yet another Serie A success with weeks of the season remaining, and he has scored 21 league goals and provided eight assists. All that in just 28 starts and one substitute appearance. In fact, Ronaldo could end up as the top scorer in the league this season, with Serie A betting odds on bet365 backing him to do so at 4/1.

In the Champions League, the 34-year-old scored six goals and provided two assists in nine matches. True, Juventus lost to Ajax in the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier club competition, but it was Ronaldo’s stunning hat-trick against Atletico Madrid that saw the Bianconeri progress that far in the first place.

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Ronaldo may be in his mid-30s, but the former Manchester United star remains at the peak of his powers and is still one of the best footballers in the world. What the Madrid legend has done is bring a lot of attention to Serie A and has made Italian football ‘cool’ again. For years, Italian football cried out for a global superstar, and Ronaldo is an icon. The Portuguese superstar has shown to the world that Italian football, despite being dominated by Juventus for the past eight years, remains a stage whereon the best players can perform.

However, Ronaldo simply cannot rest on his laurels, and must look forward to next season. Even without the 34-year-old, Juventus were guaranteed of winning the Scudetto. Ronaldo was signed for €100 million to bring home the Champions League, and there is unfinished business in that regard. It would be foolhardy and harsh to blame the Turin-based club’s failure in Europe solely on the shoulders of Ronaldo, but it is clear that for the Portuguese to become a legend in Italy and to be spoken about fondly in years to come, he has to deliver the Champion League for the Italian giants. Perhaps Massimiliano Allegri’s side underestimated Ajax, or maybe their failure was due to their inability to cope with the intensity and competitiveness in the latter stages of the Champions League as they simply run over teams in Serie A.

Juventus have a strong squad, but like any other top club, they need to refresh it and add fresh blood in the summer transfer window. Ronaldo is a goalscorer first and foremost, but this season, he has created chances for his Juventus teammates and has provided assists. Allegri needs to build his team around Ronaldo and, especially in the Champions League, set up his team to make sure that they find the Portuguese forward in the right positions and at the right time.

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The duo is widely considered to be the best two footballers of the modern generation. The pair dominated the Ballon d’Or for more than ten years between 2008-2018, before Croatia’s Luka Modric finally won the award this year.

Messi, who, like Ronaldo, is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, has once again been in stellar form for Barcelona in La Liga this season, with the Blaugrana looking set to convincingly win the title. Ronaldo’s former club Real Madrid, meanwhile, look to be a shadow of their former selves, having struggled following his departure to Juventus last summer.

Messi and Ronaldo won’t be competing against each other domestically this term, but nor will they face off in the Champions League, either. The Blaugrana, having come through the quarter-finals comfortably after defeating Manchester United over two legs, are now 6/4 favourites to win the tournament outright, according to bookmakers in the UK. Juventus, however, were eliminated at the hands of relative minnows Ajax Amsterdam. The humiliating defeat ironically came after the Dutch club had knocked out Ronaldo’s former side Madrid in the previous round.

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Ronaldo was a key part of the Madrid setup over a decade of glory and played a key role in helping the side to win the past three consecutive Champions League titles. In terms of the La Liga, however, it was Messi who got the better of his rival on most occasions. During his stay with Madrid, Ronaldo won two La Liga titles. The 31-year-old Messi, meanwhile, has nine La Liga titles to his name.

Messi told Radio C5N that it was “lovely” playing against his rival in Spain, although he admitted being “annoyed” at having to see Ronaldo pick up so many awards, often at his expense.

The question of who is better between Ronaldo and Messi will always be a topic that is fiercely debated. Messi may enjoy more success as far as the La Liga goes. However, Ronaldo did manage to win Euro 2016 and boasts an international major trophy to his name, something Messi does not.

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