Beppe Marotta, the present director of Inter Milan, had reportedly quit Juventus because of the club’s acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo. Juventus broke the transfer record in 2018 to sign the Portuguese star, who had just won his last Champions League title with Real Madrid. Juventus wanted to secure Ronaldo’s talents in order to increase their chances of winning the European title.
Marotta did not like the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo and did not want him to join the club. However, the two worked together for a while before Marotta went to Inter Milan.
Marotta has now revealed what it was like to collaborate with the former Juventus striker during their time in Turin.
“He was a very good player, he still is and above all he is a great champion. The champion is that person who manages to convey beliefs to his team-mates. He was a bit of a leader of the team, he was the most famous and he dragged the others into the game. So, it was challenging, but he didn’t make me angry,” Marotta said.
Cristiano Ronaldo did not enjoy much European success with Juventus during his time with the Italian club. He moved to Manchester United in 2021. However, the return to his boyhood club turned sour with Ronaldo having to make an unceremonious exit after an explosive interview to Piers Morgan.
He moved to Saudi Arabia in the summer, signing for Al Nassr. Cristiano Ronaldo has so far made 30 appearances in Saudi Pro League and scored 29 goals. In total, he has scored 38 goals in 45 matches for the club based in Riyadh. He has also won a trophy with Al Nassr. In 2023, he scored twice in the final to help Al Nassr lift the Arabian Club Champions Cup against Al Hilal.