Cristiano Ronaldo presentation: Juventus making no exceptions
Juventus have never unveiled their new signings in front of their fans, and have opted to remain true to their style as a club. USA vs Mexico: FIFA Friendly live online
Juventus' surprise decision to present record signing Cristiano Ronaldo behind closed doors has caused a major stir in Italy, where the expectation had been that the Portuguese star would be paraded before the Serie A champions' supporters at a packed Allianz Stadium.
Indeed, until yesterday, the Italian media had been busy discussing exactly what kind of spectacular show was in store, with Gazzetta dello Sport talking of a glitzy unveiling featuring an internationally-renowned DJ and special effects.
Juve sticking to policy of never unveiling signings in front of fans
However, the Vecchia Signora revealed on Thursday that, in the end, there will be no such event. Instead, there will be little difference between Cristiano's presentation on Monday and that of every new Juve recruit: the 33-year-old will undergo a medical, before giving a press conference either at the club's training ground or at the stadium.
Juve have never presented signings in front of their tifosi, a policy that was also applied when Gonzalo Higuaín joined for a fee which, until the Cristiano deal this week, was an Italian record. The Bianconeri's preference is to remain true to their style as a club and not even make an exception for the 'signing of the century'.
No chance of club changing mind on presentation
AS understands that, between now and Monday, the odd change could be made to the programme of events planned for the striker's first day at the club, but opening up the Allianz Stadium won't be one of them; although it was initially considered, it has been definitively ruled out.
Crowd-control concerns were not behind the decision; indeed, police sources say that Juve's choice has actually made their job harder in that regard, as it is anticipated that thousands of fans will still make their way to the ground and, with the turnstiles closed, line the surrounding streets instead.
Meanwhile, it is felt that a potential protest by Fiat workers unhappy about the club's outlay on the transfer would not have been large enough to have a significant impact on the event.
