Look: Cristiano Ronaldo Wears World's Most Expensive Rolex Worth $497K Retail
Jan 3, 2020
Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo looks on during the Supercoppa Italiana final football match between Juventus and Lazio at the King Saud University Stadium in the Saudi capital Riyadh on December 22, 2019. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo wore a $497,000 Rolex that is reportedly the most expensive watch the brand has ever produced to a recent Dubai sports conference.
Here is a look at the Rolex GMT-Master Ice, valued at £380,000 or roughly $497,000, according to MailOnline's Sophie Law:
Per the report, the watch is made of 18-carat white gold and features 30 carats of small diamonds all over the watch. He completed his ensemble with a women's engagement ring valued at £200,000 (roughly $261,000) and a diamond band on his wedding ring finger, valued at £50,000 (roughly $65,000).
The Juventus forward was attending the Dubai International Sports Conference during the winter break, before returning to his club. The Bianconeri had their first training session of the new year on Thursday:
The 34-year-old and his team-mates will return to action on Monday when they host Cagliari in Serie A.
Dejan Kulusevski's Agent Says Youngster Chose Juventus over Inter Milan, Others
Jan 3, 2020
PARMA, ITALY - DECEMBER 22: Dejan Kulusevski of Parma Calcio looks on during the Serie A match between Parma Calcio and Brescia Calcio at Stadio Ennio Tardini on December 22, 2019 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Juventus announced the signing of Atalanta starlet Dejan Kulusevski on Thursday, and according to his agent, the reported Manchester United target picked the Bianconeri over Inter Milan and other clubs domestic and abroad.
The 19-year-old completed his medical and put pen to paper on Thursday, but he will return to Parma on loan.
According to Sky in Italy, Juventus will pay a fee of £37.3 million including bonuses to land Kulusevski, who joined Atalanta as a youth prospect in 2016. The winger only made three senior appearances for La Dea before moving to Parma on a temporary basis this season.
He had been strongly linked with several Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. His agent Stefano Sem told Radio Sportiva (h/t Football Italia) he turned down several clubs, including Inter, in favour of the Old Lady:
"You know the name of Inter, but certainly there were other clubs interested in him, both from abroad and in Italy, but the lad asked to go ahead with Juve.
"Technically there was the possibility of going to Juve in January, but it needed everyone’s approval. He’s happy to stay in Parma, and they didn’t want to release him in January.
"The satisfaction is obviously high because the boy goes to play in one of the best teams in the world. Then we will see how the situation will evolve in the [following] years.
"Atalanta makes the biggest transfer in their history, whilst Parma gets to keep the player until the end of the season. Everybody wins."
While Atalanta supporters will be disappointed they didn't get to see more of the prodigy in their club colours, Italian football journalist David Amoyal noted that this a fine deal for them:
Not only did Atalanta discover Kulusevski, he was a key member of their Primavera and got noticed there by Juve director Paratici, they then sent him to Parma where he fit in perfectly in D’Aversa’s system
The transfer is also potentially a fantastic move from Juventus, as they have secured one of the most exciting talents in Italian football.
Kulusevski has blossomed at Parma this term with regular minutes, showcasing a composure that belies his tender years.
Per OptaPaolo, there aren't any players in European football of a similar age to rival the new Juventus playerin terms of productivity:
2000 - Dejan #Kulusevski is the youngest player to have been involved in 10+ goals in the top-5 European leagues 2019-20 (four goals and seven assists for him). Colt. pic.twitter.com/hbr2OtWMxI
In addition to his smart passing and goalscoring quality, Kulusevski has showcased versatility in terms of where he lines up at Parma, although he's primarily been used on the right flank.
He poses a huge threat for opposition teams on the counter-attack,as he can carry the ball quickly through phases of the field and make smart decisions at the end of his surges. In years to come, that will be a huge help for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala.
B/R Football's Gianni Verschueren said Juventus face a tricky decision on when to integrate the youngster into the first-team setup:
By the end of the season, the club will likely have a better idea of where Kulusevski is in his development and in what area of the field he can be utilised most effectively.
The Italian champions will be delighted to have secured the acquisition of a huge talent nonetheless, beating several other clubs to his signature.
Mino Raiola Says Barcelona Treated Matthijs de Ligt 'Like a Piece of Cheese'
Jan 2, 2020
ROME, ITALY - DECEMBER 07: Matthijs De Ligt of Juventus reacts during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and Juventus at Stadio Olimpico on December 07, 2019 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Matthijs de Ligt's agent, Mino Raiola, has hit out at Barcelona over their attempts to sign the defender last summer.
The centre-back was linked with a transfer to the Camp Nou in the summer but ultimately moved to Juventus from Ajax instead.
"Barca thought: '[Frenkie] De Jong's coming, [De Ligt] will arrive as well.' They treated him like a piece of cheese, as we say. But the reasons they wanted him there were wrong...did they believe a player like [Gerard] Pique was going to leave his spot in the team?
"In Holland, they almost believe Barca are a Dutch club, not a foreign club, they saw this transfer almost as sacrilege, they thought he had to go there."
The agent said that playing time was what was most important to De Ligt, rather than his salary, and the pair settled on Juve after the player told him he wanted to go to "the Harvard of defending."
Barca signed De Ligt's former Ajax team-mate Frenkie de Jong in January 2019, although he did not arrive until the summer. Had De Ligt followed suit, he likely would have been a natural fit with the Catalan giants thanks to his excellent ability on the ball.
He would have had Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti to compete with for game time, but at 20, even a player of De Ligt's ability and potential won't necessarily walk into the starting lineup of a club of Barca's stature.
The Dutchman could still have become a regular fixture in the side, though. De Jong has already managed to do so despite Barcelona having Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Arthur and Arturo Vidal among their midfield options.
De Ligt has made 16 starts for Juve this season, but he has perhaps been thrust into regular action sooner than expected as Giorgio Chiellini ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament one game into the campaign. He has improved in Turin after a rocky start, but he was left out of the starting lineup in favour of Merih Demiral for the Bianconeri's final four matches of 2019.
Maurizio Sarri has been praised for his willingness to drop him:
Chiellini is 35, so his time as a regular starter for Juve could soon be at an end, particularly if he's affected by his long-term injury.
Pique will be 33 in February, though, so his time as a key player in Barca's back line is also on the wane, so with some patience, De Ligt would have made a fine long-term successor.
Report: Dejan Kulusevski Close to Completing Juventus Transfer from Parma
Dec 30, 2019
PARMA, ITALY - NOVEMBER 10: Dejan Kulusevski of Parma Calcio in action during the Serie A match between Parma Calcio and AS Roma at Stadio Ennio Tardini on November 10, 2019 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)
Juventus are reportedly close to signing 19-year-old Dejan Kulusevski and have agreed personal terms with the Sweden international.
The Serie A champions are willing to pay up to €50 million (£42.6 million) for Kulusevski and will hand him a contract that runs until June 2024, according to reports from Sky Sport Italia and La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia).
Kulusevski is currently on loan at Parma from Atalanta and is expected to remain with Roberto D'Aversa's side until the end of the season before moving to Juventus in June.
The teenager is enjoying a breakout season in Serie A and has netted four goals and bagged seven assists in 17 top-flight outings for Parma:
Dejan Kulusevski was directly involved in a Serie A goal every 118 minutes in December.
Kulusevski's performances saw him named Serie A's Player of the Month for December, as Parma beat Sampdoria and Napoli and drew with Brescia to end 2019 in seventh place in the table.
Lazio's Luis Alberto is the only player to have contributed more assists than Kulusevski so far in the Italian top-flight in 2019-20:
Kulusevski has been asked about his future ahead of the January transfer window but gave little away when talking to SVT Sport (h/tCalciomercato.com):
Only Luis Alberto has more assists in Serie A this season than Dejan Kulusevski.
"When you think about the future, you forget the present. I think about improving, I don't know what will happen in the future. I focus on improving and at the end of the season I will make a decision."
The youngster's performances do not appear to have gone unnoticed. His representative, Stefano Sam, told Radio Punto Nuovo(h/t Calciomercato, viaJoe Brayof theManchester Evening News) that he is "followed by several Premier League clubs."
Atalanta president Antonio Percassi told Radio Deejay (h/tFootball Italia) his team were willing to "monetise and reinvest" amid reported interest from a host of clubs including Juve, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Italian football writer Carlo Garganese explained why Kulusevski is a good fit for Juventus:
Kulusevski to Juventus? He's an incredible talent & one of Serie A's most exciting teenagers for years. He's exactly the kind of player Juve are lacking. Someone direct with pace & dribbling who can eliminate & stretch opponents. Currently only Costa can do that in the squad
Maurizio Sarri's side appear to have won the race as they look to strengthen the squad and refresh their attack. Mario Mandzukic has alreadydepartedfor Qatari side Al-Duhail, while Marko Pjaca has reportedly attracted interest from Verona and Sampdoria, perFootball Italia.
Juventus vs. Lazio: 2019 Italian Super Cup TV Schedule, Live Stream
Dec 21, 2019
Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo holds the Supercoppa Italiana trophy after their final win against AC Milan at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on January 16, 2019. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)
The 2019 Supercoppa Italiana takes place on Sunday, with reigning Serie A holders Juventus ready to play Coppa Italia winners Lazio in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Juve are the Super Cup holders after defeating AC Milan 1-0 last season. The one-off match has been held outside of Italy for seven of the past 10 years.
It's the second consecutive season the Supercoppa has been held in Saudi Arabia after last year's game in Jeddah.
Extra-time and penalties will be played if the score is level at full-time.
Date: Sunday, Dec. 22
Time: 7:45 p.m. local, 4:45 p.m. GMT, 11:45 a.m. ET
Venue: King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
TV: BT Sport 2 (UK), ESPN Deportes, Rai Italia Nord America (USA)
Juventus' Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini lifts the Supercoppa Italiana after winning the final between Juventus and AC Milan at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on January 16, 2019. (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP) (Photo credit
The Old Lady's dominance of Italian competition extends to the Super Cup, with Juve winning four of the past seven Supercoppa finals.
Lazio hold a Supercoppa win over the Turin giants in recent years thanks to a 3-2 victory in 2017 at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Eagles are the only side to defeat Juve this season after a 3-1 league win in Rome on Dec. 7. It's the Italian champions' only loss in all competitions since the beginning of the campaign.
Lazio are a dangerous side at present. A record of six wins in their last seven underline a steely focus in defence and attack.
Lazio's Italian forward Ciro Immobile eyes the ball during the Italian Serie A football match lazio Rome vs Juventus Turin on December 7, 2019 at the Olympic stadium in Rome. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP) (Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty I
Simone Inzaghi's men have conceded fewer Serie A goals than the leaders this term, and Ciro Immobile's form in attack continues to impress.
The 29-year-old began his career at Juve, but after a journeyman career, the player is now Serie A's top scorer.
Immobile has 17 goals and five assists in Serie A this term, and he should be Lazio's primary threat on Sunday.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner in last season's Supercoppa, and the iconic Portuguese will want to repeat last season's endeavour in Saudi Arabia.
Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (L) talks with Juventus' Italian coach Maurizio Sarri during the Italian Serie A football match Juventus vs Udinese on December 15, 2019 at the Juventus Allianz stadium in Turin. (Photo by Isabella BONOTTO /
According to Jonathan Spencer for MailOnline, Juve will take to the field in a one-off Arabic edition of their famous Bianconeri shirt with the players' names written in the local language on their backs.
Juve's chief revenue officer Giorgio Ricci said: "Through this choice, we want to pay tribute to a traditional art form."
The design is a collaboration with artist and Arabic calligrapher, Shaker Kashgari, and it offers Juve supporters in the Middle East a chance to see their heroes in a unique shirt.
Rebranding Juventus: How a New Logo and Ronaldo Have Changed Everything
Dec 20, 2019
The meeting in which the new image that Juventus would present to the world was first mapped out took place in a small ground-floor office at the club's former headquarters on Corso Galileo Ferraris in central Turin in the spring of 2016.
In attendance were Giorgio Ricci, Juve's head of global partnerships and corporate revenues, brand development manager Luca Adornato, head of brand, licensing and retail Silvio Vigato, brand manager Daniele Lunazzi, head of marketing and digital Federico Palomba and head of communications Claudio Albanese, along with representatives from New York-based brand consultancy Interbrand.
As rain drummed against the windows outside, the Interbrand team delivered a 20-minute presentation, during which they shared their vision of how to rebrand the club. The wide-ranging pitch featured a slick reworking of the Juventus logo as a simple, stylised letter "J."
Juve's officials were struck by the boldness of the proposed revamp. Although they were conscious that moving away from the existing crest would risk angering longstanding supporters, the radical redesign chimed with their desire to extend the club's reach into new markets.
"The idea of the rebrand was to reposition the club in the wider entertainment industry as a brand that was able to deliver lifestyle experiences," Ricci, who is now Juve's chief revenue officer, told Bleacher Report. "It was about being able to be identified as something wider than a pure football brand."
The reworked logo would ultimately form the centrepiece of the striking new visual identity that Juventus unveiled in Milan in January 2017. The glitzy launch event, attended by 500 guests, took place during Milan Fashion Week, which was no coincidence. The venue was deliberately, even a little provocatively, chosen to show that the new Juventus would cross boundaries in unexpected ways and that, while rooted in Turin, it was a club eager to do business with the whole world.
The goal of the facelift was to make Juventus appeal to what the club's marketing men termed "entertainment enthusiasts": global consumers of different ages and backgrounds who could be persuaded to buy into the Juve brand because it held the promise of new and exciting experiences, in the same way that people associate themselves with Red Bull, Ferrari and Harley-Davidson even if they have never drunk an energy drink, driven a sports car or ridden a motorbike.
"We needed to create an attitude brand: a brand that would capture the imaginations of people who were not necessarily into football," said Manfredi Ricca, Interbrand's global chief strategy officer, who played a leading role in the rebrand.
"We needed to look at the great, fast-growing global brands that are able to synthesise and personify an attitude. We needed to look at the Nikes and the Adidases of this world, at the Chanels and the Louis Vuittons and the Guccis. Those are the brands that stand for a clear feeling and attitude and emotion.
"If you look at the identity of Juventus, the stark simplicity of it lines up much better with a Gucci monogram or a Nike swoosh than it does with very elaborate, legacy-driven [football] crests."
"Their ambition is to go from a very successful Italian football team to one of the biggest sporting brands in the world," Misha Sher, vice-president of media agency MediaCom Sport and Entertainment, told Bleacher Report. "It's about having relevance and profile in what is a very cluttered entertainment world."
Juve's innovative marketing manoeuvres have accompanied the club's attempts to move to the next level on the pitch, where eight years of unbroken dominance in Serie A have been offset by recurrent failures to go all the way in the UEFA Champions League. The twin objectives of on-pitch success and off-pitch growth coalesced perfectly in the summer of 2018 when Juventus succeeded in signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid for an Italian-record fee of €100 million.
In addition to his on-pitch impact, Ronaldo's presence has been strongly felt at commercial level, with Juve's merchandising sales almost doubling in his first full season and the club's digital following swelling by over 50 percent to around 90 million followers.
Allied to the rebrand, the arrival of one of the most marketable figures in world sport has further served to enhance Juve's appeal to the young populations found in key growth markets such as China and the United States. Juve cannot compete with the television revenues enjoyed by their competitors in England and Spain, but as a slew of new deals with brands such as Budweiser, Coca-Cola and Japanese video game manufacturer Konami demonstrate, a player like Ronaldo can unlock commercial opportunities all on his own.
"There's more eyeballs on the club with Ronaldo," said Sher. "And if there's more eyeballs on the club, their ability to generate commercial revenue goes up significantly."
One challenge facing Juventus is how to durably secure the affections of the predominantly young supporters who have only started following the team's fortunes since Ronaldo joined. The Portugal superstar turns 35 in February and will not remain in Turin forever, but Juve's marketing team is confident that many of the relationships being built with the club's new fans will survive his eventual departure.
"The most important KPI [key performance indicator] that we're monitoring now is not the number of followers or fans within our media platform, but the level of engagement. And the level of engagement is higher than what we had 18 months ago," explained Ricci.
"It means that we're not only bringing people onto our platform, but we're engaging them. We're engaging them through content that is not only based around Cristiano, but based around our story, the club and the engagement activity that we're doing. This is basically our strategy. With this we're building our future."
Securing Ronaldo's commercial legacy forms part of a five-year business development plan that covers the period between 2019 and 2024. The plan details some of the key trends that Juve's marketing executives believe will shape the immediate future of the football industry, which include: greater crossover between sport and lifestyle branding; an increase in the prominence of individual players' media profiles; the continued growth of women's football (Juve launched a women's team in 2017); and the ongoing development of esports (an industry that Juve entered recently in partnership with Konami).
The most significant trend pinpointed in the plan centres around the evolution in the way that young people consume football. Ricci offers a stark assessment that "young generations are no longer interested in live matches," which is moving Juve to plough resources into developing other kinds of content, such as highlights packages and behind-the-scenes footage.
To that end, the most significant portion of the investment allotted to the business development programme has gone into the creation of a powerful CRM (customer relationship management) platform, which will enable the club to engage with supporters even more directly than it does currently.
"We're investing a lot in our digital platform," Ricci said. "We're building our own communication platform, which will be able to deliver content directly to our fans without being mediated by the broadcasters. This is the key trend that will completely change the football industry over the next five years."
Juve's domestic dominance on the pitch may be under threat from Inter Milan and Lazio this season, but in off-pitch matters, they continue to soar. Turnover jumped from €172 million in the 2010-11 season to €621 million in the 2018-19 campaign, with the club's value rocketing from €162 million to €1.47 billion over the same period. Following lucrative renegotiations over the last 12 months, the club's partnerships with kit manufacturer Adidas and principal sponsor Jeep are now collectively worth over €100 million a year. And the club is hungry for more.
"We must view 2019, 2020, this season, this assembly, as a new year zero for Juventus," president Andrea Agnelli told shareholders in October. "It is time to think big."
On a global scale, Juve still lag behind European football's true heavyweights and slipped to 11th place in the most recent edition of accounting firm Deloitte's Football Money League, which ranks clubs according to annual revenue. But while the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United remain the front-runners, Juve are convinced that by harnessing the opportunities created by their rebrand, by piggybacking on the massive global appeal of Ronaldo and by consistently thinking outside the box, they can begin to close the gap.
"In order to reach the current level of clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid or Barcelona, we cannot follow their course," Ricci said.
"They're part of a completely different domestic system and they're leveraging the strength of their system a lot. They've done it over the last 10 years, most importantly. But we feel like we're younger. So what we're doing is trying to reach the same level of those clubs, but by following our own way."
Sampdoria Owner Jokes Cristiano Ronaldo 'Had to Be Booked' for Juventus Winner
Dec 20, 2019
TOPSHOT - Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (C) scores a header during the Italian Serie A football match Sampdoria vs Juventus on December 18, 2019 at the Luigi-Ferraris stadium in Genoa. (Photo by Marco Bertorello / AFP) (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)
Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero has joked Cristiano Ronaldo should have been booked for his gravity-defying decider when Juventus won 2-1 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Wednesday.
Ronaldo, 34, scored his 10th goal of the Serie A campaign to give Juve a temporary three-point lead at the top of the table, while Sampdoria remain just two points above the relegation zone.
Owner Ferrero, 68, maintained his sense of humour despite the defeat and told Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia): "The team are there, we saw that yesterday against Juve. I must say that Ronaldo had to be booked after that leap. It was as if he was taking off like an aeroplane! Cristiano won the game, but my boys defended well."
Paulo Dybala broke the deadlock with a ferocious left-footed volley before Gianluca Caprari brought Sampdoria level, though Ronaldo's towering header was the best of the three goals:
Juventus shared a compilation of the best fan-made edits following an iconic Ronaldo goal:
The Bianconeri have regained their cushion at the top of Serie A for the time being, although Inter Milan can draw back level if they defeat Genoa at the San Siro on Saturday.
Football Italia attested to Ronaldo leaping a gargantuan 2.56 metres at the peak of his jump, while Sampdoria defender Nicola Murru was left grounded a distance below.
Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri spoke at a press conference after the game and described his initial reaction to Ronaldo and Dybala's goals, via Eleven Sports:
😮 | "F****** hell!"
Sarri discussed Dybala and Ronaldo's sensational goals for Juventus last night, that even left him shocked! pic.twitter.com/P2jmvkDsmZ
Ronaldo's hang time in the air has drawn special praise, though BBC Sport posted evidence of the Portuguese pulling off a similar feat at UEFA Euro 2016:
The veteran forward has been dealing with a knee complaint, but that appears to be behind him after notching a fifth goal in his past four Serie A appearances.
Ronaldo can score in a fifth consecutive Italian league fixture for the first time since he joined Juventus provided he nets when they resume their Serie A campaign at home to Cagliari on January 6.
The Bianconeri spent €100 million to sign Ronaldo from Real Madrid in 2018, and Ferrero's Sampdoria are but the latest opponent to suffer as a result of his abilities.
Maurizio Sarri on Cristiano Ronaldo Header vs. Sampdoria: 'F--k, Wow'
Dec 19, 2019
Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri has expressed his awe of star forward Cristiano Ronaldo after his stunning header in the win over Sampdoria in Serie A on Wednesday.
The Portuguese netted the winner in a 2-1 triumph for the Bianconeri. The goal saw Ronaldo peel away at the back post before producing a remarkable leap and header, giving his side the lead before the interval.
Afterwards, Sarri was asked for his thoughts on the goal, noting both Ronaldo's header and Paulo Dybala's strike left him mesmerised, per Dejan Kalinic of Goal:
"When Ronaldo scored I thought the same as the Dybala one—'f--k, wow.' But wow does not describe it all. They both scored two outstanding goals.
"[Dybala] chose a left-footed volley in a situation where 99 players out of 100 would stop the ball and then shoot. The [Ronaldo] one, I think the amount of time he spent in the air before the header was incredibly long – a wonderful, physical and technical action."
Premier Sports shared footage of the goal, as Ronaldo leapt to meet Alex Sandro's pinpoint cross:
💥 Cristiano Ronaldo puts Juve back in front with a TOWERING header before half time!
Ronaldo's ability in the air has always been a key part of his game. The 34-year-old represents a triple threat for opposition defenders, as he can win aerial battles as well as score with both his right and left foot.
As ESPN FC relayed, this is not the first time Ronaldo has soared above defenders to grab a goal for his side:
This season has been a mixed one for Ronaldo, as the Portugal forward has struggled with injury issues and has not been at his potent best in front of goal.
Under Sarri, the former Real Madrid man has been used in different positions and has had to adapt his game. However, the goal he scored on Wednesday is a reminder that Ronaldo is at his most threatening when he's in the penalty area.
Per OptaJean, when it comes to attacking crosses, Ronaldo has been a consistent menace to defenders over the last decade:
55 - Cristiano Ronaldo scored 55 league headed goals over the last 10 seasons, at least 14 more than any other player in the top 5 leagues. Sotomayor. pic.twitter.com/w2ncDpvWCh
Sarri will hope the confidence Ronaldo accrued from this goal will enable him to kick on when Juventus resume their competitive calendar in 2020. Juve have a three-point lead at the top of the table, although Inter can move level with them if they can beat Genoa on Saturday.
Ronaldo has 10 goals in 14 top-flight outings this term. Juventus will want to see him improve that ratio in the months to come, when the team will face some huge challenges in pursuit of Serie A and Champions League glory.
Juventus' Gianluigi Buffon Hints He'll Keep Playing Beyond This Season
Dec 19, 2019
GENOA, ITALY - DECEMBER 18: Gianluigi Buffon Juventus goalkeeper gestures during the Serie A match between UC Sampdoria and Juventus at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on December 18, 2019 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Rattini/Getty Images)
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has suggested he'll continue playing beyond the end of the season.
The veteran stopper will turn 42 in January, and his contract with the Bianconeri expires in June.
After setting the record for most Serie A appearances by a Juventus player in their 2-1 win over Sampdoria on Wednesday with 479, Buffon told Sky Sport Italia (h/t Goal's Chris Burton):
"The reason I keep playing is that I can give myself, along with my team-mates and this club, many beautiful emotions that are worth living. ... The thing that most interests me personally, more than the games, is the role I can play that here at Juve with my team-mates, staff and managers.
" ... With regards to the future, I let life show me the way: at this moment I would do myself an injury if I thought I would stop playing, because I feel I am a point of reference, beyond the games that are played."
In playing on Wednesday, Buffon equalled Paolo Maldini's record for all-time Serie A appearances:
The Italian isn't Juve's first-choice goalkeeper any more—that honour goes to Wojciech Szczesny, who has missed their last three games with a shoulder problem—but he has made seven league appearances this season.
Juve won't play again in Serie A until January 6, but Buffon only needs to appear once more in the competition this season to hold the record outright.
Buffon isn't quite the goalkeeper he once was. He conceded twice in Juventus' 2-2 draw with Sassuolo earlier on December 1.
He could do little to keep out the first as it was a superb finish, but the latter was an uncharacteristic error:
😱 An OUTRAGEOUS goal from Jeremie Boga!
👏 Sassuolo strike back immediately as brilliant buildup play from Boga is more than matched by the dinked finish over Buffon! pic.twitter.com/7lBy2IoxyZ
While he may be past his prime, as far as back-ups go, Juve could be doing much worse than having Buffon in their ranks, so it might not be too surprising if they give him an extension come the end of the season.
If they don't, a player of his experience could still make an excellent addition elsewhere as a No. 1 or a No. 2.
Cristiano Ronaldo Says Knee Problems Are Gone, Talks Juventus Title Ambitions
Dec 19, 2019
TURIN, ITALY - DECEMBER 15: Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus FC reacts during the Serie A match between Juventus and Udinese Calcio at Allianz Stadium on December 15, 2019 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo has said his recent knee injury is a thing of the past after he scored a memorable winner against Sampdoria on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old helped Juventus win the Scudetto in his maiden season in Italy, and his goal in the 2-1 win at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris temporarily lifted the Bianconeri three points clear at the top of Serie A.
Ronaldo spoke to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) following the win and reacted after being told he reached a top height of 2.56 metres to head home the 45th-minute decider:
"I didn't know that. I'm very happy with the result, it was a very difficult game and Sampdoria played well today.
"The whole team showed the right attitude. It was a good goal and I am glad to help the team with another three points.
"I had problems with my knee for a month, but that has gone now and I feel good physically. What I want is to help Juve win matches and titles."
Alex Sandro assisted both Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala in their visit to Sampdoria, where the former's intervention was required after Gianluca Caprari levelled for the hosts:
Ronaldo's knees looked healthy enough to safely bring the Portuguese down from such a spectacular height, which was difficult considering it was an awkward landing:
The veteran's past knee complaint kept him sidelined for Juve's 3-1 win over Atalanta in November, one of only three games he's missed for the Turin giants this season.
Ronaldo now has 10 goals in 14 league appearances this campaign, and ESPN's Matteo Bonetti marvelled at his most recent effort:
I mean, Ronaldo’s knee went as high as the defender’s head. He levitated in the air at his highest point. And then to thunder the ball in perfectly into the top corner at the far post. It’s all so absurd. One of the nicest headers you will ever see.
Ronaldo has scored in four successive Serie A games for just the second time since he joined Juventus from Real Madrid in 2018. He won't have the opportunity to mark a fifth until Sarri's side resume their league campaign at home to Cagliari on January 6, 2020.
Inter Milan can draw back level on points with the leaders when they host Genoa on Saturday, except Antonio Conte's side are without a win in three games and have drawn each of their last two Serie A matches.
Juventus have won the past eight Serie A titles and hope to extend their record streak this term, though football writer Carlo Garganese suggested earlier in December Inter could finally end their run:
Long way to go and Champions League progress will play a part too, but if Inter get no major injuries and Lautaro and Lukaku stay fit, there is no reason at all Inter can’t beat Juventus to the Scudetto this season. Finally Serie A has a real title race
Sarri's men beat Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen to top their UEFA Champions League group, and they look likely to progress into the quarter-finals after they were drawn opposite Lyon in the round of 16.
Ronaldo will return to face Lazio in the 2019 Supercoppa Italiana on Sunday when he'll hope to score in a sixth successive game across all competitions.
