Cristiano: "Juventus showed more interest in me than anyone else"
Cristiano granted an interview with DAZN in which he spoke about joining Juve and his surprise at being applauded by the home fans for his overhead kick in Turin.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the new global ambassador for streaming platform DAZN, which exclusively broadcasts three Serie A matches in Italy every week. To celebrate the new agreement, the ex-Real Madrid star gave an in-depth interview to the channel, in which he spoke about his first weeks with Juventus and his past in Madrid.
How is life in Turin?
Really good, I'm very happy. We have a good team, I've been pleasantly surprised. We work hard here, all the time. It's never an easy day here.
Put through the mill
Is it true that training sessions in Italy are very tough?
Yes, I like the way they train, the mentality. It's good, they are very, very professional so this is why I am enjoying it.
Why did you choose Juventus?
Some things in life happen for a reason, that was the case here. I didn't expect to play at this club but things come in a natural way. As everyone knows, Juve are one of the best clubs in the world so my decision was easy. Of course, Real Madrid, what I did there was unbelievable. I won everything at that club and have friends and family there but to move to this club was an easy decision. They did everything for me and gave me an opportunity. I want to make history at this club as well.
Fantastic overhead kick against Juventus for Real Madrid
You scored one of the most spectacular goals in Champions League history against Juve and were given an ovation. Did that influence your decision to come to Turin?
Some people say yes, some people say no. All I can say is, the small details make the big difference at the end of the day so, what I see in that stadium helps to be honest. Unfortunately, I scored that goal against my current club, but anyway, it’s in the past. It was, in my opinion, the best goal of my career so far. And of course, when the people started to applaud me in the stadium, I was like ‘Wow!’ It surprised me a lot because this has never happened to me in my life, so it was an unbelievable moment.
Is this season's objective winning the Champions League?
Obviously, I want to win the Champions League with Juve. We're going to focus on that, me and my team-mates, but no obsession. We'll go step by step and then we'll see if it's this year, next year or in three years. The focus for this club is to win Serie A, the Coppa Italia and, of course, do our best in the Champions League
You've been handed the No.7 shirt...
Yes, it's my favourite. I spoke to the club and to Cuadrado, and he told me: “No problem, I'd be delighted to let you have it”. Everything has gone well, I was surprised at how helpful the club has been and also Cuadrado.
Indebted to Sir Alex Ferguson
You once said that Sir Alex Ferguson is like a father to you. Do you still think that way?
Of course, he was very important at the start of my career, I'd only just joined from Sporting Clube and I still had a Portuguese mentality. I dribbled with the ball way too much, sometimes I didn't make the right decision on the pitch and he taught me how to improve as a player. Defenders in the Premier League and he taught me everything. That's why I'll always consider him to be my footballing father.
How do you handle pressure?
It's not easy, but sometimes I enjoy playing under pressure - positive pressure. Having too many responsibilities can be negative, but it's part of the job, it's part of being CR7. It's not a problem; I know how to handle it.
