Cristiano Ronaldo reveals Juventus snub | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he turned down a move to Juventus when he was 17.

The Portuguese has gone on to win the Ballon d’Or on five occasions, becoming one of the best players the world has ever seen over the last 15 years. It could have all started so differently, though.

“Many clubs were interested in me,” the 32-year-old said as he collected the player of the year award at the Globe Soccer Awards.

“But the key man as always was Jorge Mendes.

“He has always guided me in the right direction. Of course, I remember that he talked also about Juventus, and I was happy because they are an extraordinary club.”

That wasn’t Ronaldo’s only option as a teenager, though.

Instead he chose Manchester United and the rest is, of course, history.

“The club that offered me the best conditions were United. It was a dream because as a kid I always wanted to play in the Premier League.

“United gave me this opportunity and for that I have to thank Sir Alex Ferguson and obviously Jorge helped me to arrive there.”

Six years and 118 Manchester United goals later, Ronaldo secured a move to Real Madrid, who were also interested when he was just a kid waiting for his big move.

Since then he has only improved, becoming Real Madrid’s all-time top goalscorer and watching record after record tumble.

Unfortunately for Juventus fans, it didn’t happen in black and white.