Upon joining Juventus in July 2018 for a deal which cost the reigning Italian champions approximately €100 million, according to The Guardian, Ronaldo has continued to reach world-class levels while in Turin. In contrast, Madrid have struggled since his departure. So, let’s take a look at whether Madrid made a mistake in letting Ronaldo go.

Age-Defying Performances While at Juventus

Having arguably established himself as the most influential and successful Galactico of the modern era, a transfer to the Old Lady saw the Portuguese international bring an end to his award-winning nine-year spell with the 33-time La Liga winners.

Despite being 33-years-old at the time of his transfer to Juventus, Ronaldo has, unsurprisingly, failed to let his age hinder his performances. In his first season in Italy, the former Manchester United winger scored 21 goals in 31 league appearances, according to Transfermarkt. Moreover, he also provided eight assists during the 2018-19 campaign. As a result of his contributions, the man nicknamed CR7 was given the Serie A Player of the Season award in his debut season in Italy.

Following his early success, the 33-year-old has taken his level to new heights in a way that only he could do. At the time of writing, Ronaldo has already matched his goal return from 2018-19, and, given that there are still 12 games to be played, he has the opportunity to reach, or even surpass, the 30-goal mark in Serie A.

Madrid’s Need for an Attack-Minded Leader

According to Ronaldo, one of the pivotal reasons he decided to depart the Spanish capital was because of his ever-changing relationship with the club’s president, Florentino Perez. The Guardian state that the Portuguese forward felt that his status at Los Blancos had changed, with members of the hierarchy no longer viewing him as an indispensable part of the team. Although he is not as youthful as he once was, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is reaffirming the belief that Madrid was wrong to allow him to leave given he seemingly still has plenty to offer.

After selling Ronaldo to the Old Lady, Madrid fell to their second successive third-place finish in La Liga at the end of the 2018-19 season. Although things have picked up during the on-going campaign, the statistics show that Madrid has been left lacking from an offensive standpoint following the Portuguese attacker’s departure. Sergio Ramos is currently Los Blancos’ second-highest scorer in the league with seven goals, 12 behind Karim Benzema. Although Zinedine Zidane’s side are still in the hunt for the La Liga title, as they’re currently, as of June 9th, priced at 5/4 to claim the trophy with La Liga betting come the end of the season, it’s undeniable that they’ve missed Ronaldo’s ruthlessness in front of goal.

Madrid’s Loss is Juventus’ Gain

Ultimately, it’s almost impossible for modern-day clubs to get every transfer decision right within the contemporary era of football. That said, letting Ronaldo leave for Juventus always appeared to be a deal that favoured the 35-time Italian champions, who are now reaping the rewards of having a five-time Ballon d’Or winner in their ranks.