Cristiano Ronaldo has been slammed by Juventus legends Sergio Brio and Alessio Tachhinardi for the way in which he departed the Italian side for Manchester United.
Ronaldo made himself unavailable for Juventus ’ recent 1-1 away draw to Empoli, to quickly seal a shock return to The Red Devils.
At first it appeared Ronaldo would be staying with ‘The Old Lady’, after the former Real Madrid forward poured cold water over any suggestions, he was looking for an exit from the Turin club.
Barely ten days later Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri was telling the media the Portuguese hitman would be departing the Bianconeri “Immediately”.
“He wants to leave Juventus and he made a choice, he’s going to look for a new club after three years here,” said Allegri.
“I’m not disappointed by Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s part of the life. Ronaldo told me yesterday that he wants to leave Juventus immediately.”
Allegri’s face told a completely different picture as he looked deflated in the face of media questioning.
And it is for this reason Ronaldo has found himself on the wrong side of criticism from club legends Brio and Tachhinardi.
“Juventus deserve more respect; I didn’t expect Ronaldo to snub the club like this. It was not nice of him,” Brio told Tuttosport.
“I always speak highly of the three clubs where I played: Juventus, Lecce and Pistoiese because they signed me and believed in me. Cristiano is a great professional, but his farewell should have been different.
“Perhaps they didn’t break up gracefully, but I am convinced it was the right thing for the player and the club. If a player is forced to stay, he could cause damage to his teammates and the club.”
Brio played 385 games at the heart of the Juventus defence between 1978 and 1990, winning five Scudettos, three Italian cups and the European Cup.
Tachhinardi was even more scathing towards the five-time Ballon D’Or winner; accusing him of thoroughly disrespecting Allegri and the club as a whole.
The former midfielder who played 404 matches for Juventus between 1994 and 2004, even suggested Ronaldo’s actions also put the club in a very difficult position.
The former midfielder who played 404 matches for Juventus between 1994 and 2004, even suggested Ronaldo’s actions also put the club in a very difficult position.
“Ronaldo should have left in a different way, not on his private jet while Allegri was talking to the team before the game against Empoli,” the former midfielder said.
“I expected a press conference to say goodbye to the fans. They deserved something different.
“There are no more legends such as Del Piero, Totti, Maldini or Zanetti, but it wasn’t nice to hear from Ronaldo that he was going back to a place he feels like home.
“He put Juventus in a difficult situation, leaving a few days before the end of the transfer window, it is impossible to replace a goal machine like him.”
Juventus are believed to have received around £13m from Manchester United to buy him out of his contract.
Ronaldo arrived joined the two-time European champions in 2018, arriving from Real Madrid for around £99m.
He won two Serie A titles, scoring 101 goals in 139 appearances for the Italian giants.