Although Cristiano Ronaldo failed to lead his new club Juventus to success in the Champions League in their first attempt, coach Massimiliano Allegri is convinced that the 34-year-old will continue to play for Juventus next season.
“The Champions League has ended – with the result that we are eliminated,” Allegri said at a press conference on Friday, stressing: “Ronaldo and Juventus do not guarantee the Champions League win. There are many components in football.”
Italian media had reported on Thursday that Ronaldo could leave the club prematurely after losing out to Ajax Amsterdam in the quarter-finals if the Portuguese did not see the squad strengthened enough.
“He’s disappointed, like everyone else, but calm. He is the future of Juventus,” Allegri made clear. He couldn’t imagine saying goodbye to Ronaldo: “He did well this year and will do great things next year,” the coach said.
On Saturday, Juventus will receive AC Florence and can already clinch the Serie A title with a draw. Allegri therefore demands to forget the frustration of the last days: “Going to the stadium and not celebrating would be wrong”, he said.
He added: “It would be the eighth Scudetto in a row and therefore something to be proud of. It was supposed to be a party! Nevertheless, it will have been a great season in which we achieved 50 percent of our goals.”
