Ronaldo: Perez Forced Me Out Of Real Madrid

By Joshua Walters

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed the reason he left Real Madrid for Juventus last summer and said he was forced out by club President, Florentino Perez,

The Portuguese football legend has taken a swipe at Perez in a yet-to-be-published magazine, cited by Mundo Deportivo, saying the latter only used him as a bargaining chip. 

“He only saw me as a business,” claims Ronaldo, who has seven goals and four assists in ten Serie A games to his credit at Juventus. “I know. What he told me did not come from the heart.”

Ronaldo joined the Spanish giants in 2009, having won the Ballon d’Or the previous year.

The Portuguese attained recognition as the greatest player on earth, arguably, at Madrid as he left the club this year with two La Liga titles, four Champions League titles, four Ballon d’Or awards, two Copa Del Rey titles and a host of individual and team awards.

Even in the face of the achievements, Ronaldo alleged that Perez did not make him feel needed, especially in the later stages of his stay. 

"I felt that inside the club, especially on the part of the president, they did not consider me as at the beginning. The first four or five years had the feeling of being Cristiano Ronaldo. Then less. The president looked at me with eyes that did not want to say the same thing, as if it was no longer indispensable.”

"I have achieved many good things in Madrid, and have had incredible moments that I will always remember, with some very valuable colleagues. The fans, too. But I think that after nine years there, it was time to change clubs and move.”