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‘I was no longer indispensable’ at Real Madrid – Cristiano Ronaldo

Published

6 years ago

October 29, 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo has said he decided to leave Real Madrid for Juventus after sensing that the Spanish club ’ s president , Florentino Perez , no longer saw him as being “ indispensable ” .
“ I felt within the club , especially from the president , that I was no longer considered in the same way as I was at the beginning , ” Ronaldo said in an interview with France Football magazine.

“ For the first four or five years , I felt like Cristiano Ronaldo . Less so after .

“ The president looked at me in a way that suggested I was no longer indispensable , if you know what I mean . That is what made me think about leaving . ”
The 33 – year – old Portuguese superstar joined Juventus in a 100 million – euro ( $ 115 million ) deal in July, ending a glorious nine – year association with Real .

His last act with the Spanish club was to participate in them winning the Champions League for a third consecutive season by beating Liverpool in the final in May .

But Zinedine Zidane departed as coach in the wake of that game , something which Ronaldo admits confirmed to him that it might be time to move on .

“ My decision to leave was not based on him going. That said , it was one of the little details that confirmed to me what I had been thinking about the situation at the club , ” Ronaldo said .

He added that he would “ deserve ” to win the Ballon d ’ Or this year , and in doing so would pass Lionel Messi by taking the award for a sixth time .

The winner of the prize, awarded by France Football , will be announced in early December .

But while Ronaldo continues to enjoy great success on the field , scoring twice for Juventus at the weekend , he remains embroiled in off – pitch problems after being accused of rape in the United States .

A former American model Kathryn Mayorga , 34 , of Las Vegas , accused Ronaldo in a 32 – page complaint filed last month with a district court in Nevada , of raping her in June 2009 , just before he joined Madrid from Manchester United .

“ Of course this matter interferes with my life . I have a partner , four children , an ageing mother , sisters , a brother , a family with whom I am very close , ” he told the magazine .

“ That is without talking about my reputation , that of an exemplary person .

“ Imagine what that is like to have someone say you are a rapist , or that you have this or that .

“ I know who I am and what I did . The truth will come out . And the people who criticise me and who expose my life today , who make a song and dance about it , these people will see . ”

( AFP )