Cristiano Ronaldo admits it was an ‘easy’ decision to leave Real Madrid and join Juventus last month.
Ronaldo ended nine years of goals and trophies with Madrid to make a €112m move to Juve, and the No 7 confessed he had always wanted to play for the Italian giants.
“I feel great. Everything is good, the test was good, people around the stadium, the fans, the people in the training ground are very nice with me. I’m glad, I’m happy.
“[Juve are a] great club, first of all it is a great club. Since I was a kid, I looked at this team and said I hope to play there one day.
“Now I will play for a fantastic club, one of the biggest clubs in the world. I’m happy.
“I don’t have a precise moment when I decided. During the years, we played a few times against Juve and I had a special feeling that the Italian supporters like Cristiano.
“It’s the biggest club in Italy, one of the best in the world, so it was an easy decision, as Juve are an unbelievable club.”
The 33-year-old was then asked whether the applause given to him by Bianconeri fans after his overhead kick in the Champions League quarter-finals last season played a part in his transfer.
“Unbelievable. I remember every day, that never happened to me before,” he added.
“In the Champions League against Juve, a quarter-final, you score a goal and see everyone in the stadium applaud you. It was an unbelievable feeling.
“I felt surprised at the beginning. I am used to following Juve and I like the club, but since that moment I liked them even more. I won’t say it was the key point in my decision, but every detail helps.
“Maybe. Of course, it helps when you see the people like you, the supporters and club like you, the feeling is completely different.
“I have to say thank you to all of them for the support. My priority is to do my best, be professional, try to make the team even better.
“That is my job, I’ll try to enjoy it as much as I can and make Juventus even better. I know that I will be prepared, I’ll be ready, but my first goal doesn’t matter.
“I just want to be ready. I want to be in good shape, help the team, win trophies – that is what I’m looking for. My first goal will happen in a natural way, [so], I’m not thinking about that.”
Finally, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was asked about how his experience in Italy would pan out.
“I don’t know, maybe it’ll be different here in this club,” he suggested.
“So far, I feel the people at the club are different, they are nice and like a family. The supporters are the same.
“I’m excited and of course I want to make them happy. I’ve been a professional for 15-16 years, so my method is always the same.
“I played for many years at Manchester United and Real Madrid, now is a new adventure, but I want to always keep the same working method and ethic, helping the team to achieve our goals.
“I know the League, as I followed it on television, but never played here before. I hope that I can adapt very fast, but I come here for the challenge to the best club in Italy, is exciting and I hope to start the season as well as possible.
“Thank you for everything, I’ll do my best and for sure we’re going to win things together.”
