Ronaldo Back In Madrid To Face Atletico

Ronaldo Back In Madrid To Face Atletico

By Nigel Philips

Cristiano Ronaldo is back in Spain tonight as he readies himself to help Juventus rewrite the scrolls in the Champions League against an old familiar foe, Atletico Madrid.

Ronaldo’s first visit to Spain with Juventus ended badly for the former Real Madrid player, who saw the red after just 28 minutes against Valencia in the game that also marked his debut for the Italian giants in Europe.

Juventus went on to win that game 2-0, and Massimiliano Allegri’s men are back in Spain for the second time this campaign once again with a certain Christiano Ronaldo who is having a burning desire to steal the show against the club which he once dominated.

Juventus have their hopes in the €100million summer signing and believe that the Portuguese can lead them to their first European win over Atletico, a team against whom the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has a long history.

Juventus’ arrival in Madrid and game against Atletico pose as a homecoming for Ronaldo, 34, who once lived a few blocks away from the hosts’ training base.

Ronaldo has won five Champions League trophies, making him the only player with as many of such titles, and it was as a result of the player’s Champions League credentials that Juventus broke the bank to purchase him at a time when the world thought it was impossible for the player to be priced out of Real Madrid.

Ronaldo has recorded 121 goals in the competition and of these 57 have proved decisive.

Ronaldo has been very pivotal in all of his five previous European triumphs, from his soaring header for Manchester United against Chelsea in 2008 to the tie-clinching, 97th-minute penalty against Juventus last season in the quarters.

Ronaldo also scored 17 goals en route to the Champions League trophy in 2014, scoring the title-winning penalty against Atletico in 2016 and the hat-trick against the same opposition, this time in the last four, a year later.

That was before the Portuguese goal wizard scored a brace against Juventus in the finals that ended up 4-1 in favour of Real Madrid.

It was to become the beneficiaries, rather than victims, of these match-winning moments, that Juve decided the only way to win the Champions League before Ronaldo retires is to have him on their team.

His last visit to Madrid was last month when he appeared in court over tax fraud charges last month.
The player avoided jail but was made to pay €3.57 million for indulging in tax fraud when at Real Madrid, part of a broader €18.8-million payout.

He was also handed a two-year jail sentence that was immediately reduced to a fine of €365,000 and another penalty of €3.2 million.

These have not affected the player in any way as he continues to glitter in the Serie A where he has scored 19 goals in 24 games, with a total of 21 goals in all competitions, including one against former club Manchester United, with 11 assists.

Allegri will count so much on Ronaldo’s familiarity with Atletico Madrid to beat the Spanish side who he played against an average four times a year in his nine-year-stint at Real Madrid.

Ronaldo has scored 22 goals in 31 matches against Atletico and also boasts a 100 percent record with eight penalties converted, his best record against any team.