What Next For Ronaldo After Disappointing Season?

For a man who is always trying to win, the 2020/21 season has been a disappointment to Cristiano Ronaldo, both at club and at the international level. There were massive failures for his club, Juventus, this season and Portugal exiting Euro 2020 at the Round of 16 stage marks a huge low in his career, which is headed towards the end.

The image of Ronaldo throwing down his armband, and going down in emotions at Portugal’s loss to Belgium at the Euros had the writings of the end of an era. Well, it might have been the second time he’s done it but this time it be@t differently, and at best we could assume it is the final Euro appearance for the icon.

He did throw the armband, and walked off before the full time whistle, in March 2021, but that was purely out of anger after being denied what seemed like a clean goal, that could have been the winner against Serbia in the World Cup qualifier that ended 2-2. 

After leading Portugal to success in Euro 2016, and following up with the win in the inaugural Nations League campaign, Portugal walked to Euro 2020 campaigns as one of the favorites. They however struggled a bit in their group before finally falling off in the second round.

Ronaldo took a break from the Portugal national team after their exit at the 2018 World Cup, and immediately speculation flew around, that he was considering international retirement. He would later return to help the team win the Nations League. 

At 36, and having achieved a lot in his career both at the international and club level, Ronaldo may be targeting the 2022 World Cup before bowing out but that remains to be seen, with his club future also in focus.

At Juventus, Ronaldo had what would pass as a normally high season, though that can only be limited to him as an individual. As a team, they didn’t do well and to Ronaldo, that’s a massive fail, despite scoring 36 goals and finishing as Serie A top scorer with 29 goals.

Now Juventus have gone into another stage as they seek to correct the mess that saw the team struggle to finish fourth in the Serie A, only needing a helping hand from another team to be able to secure Champions League football on the final day of the season.

Massimiliano Allegri is back as manager and Ronaldo, like a number of senior players, has been linked with a move away as the club looks to restructure its budgets and wage bill. The forward, who prides in his fitness levels quick recovery between matches and unquestionable ability to deliver on the big stage, will be any club’s dream player. While he can be great commercially for a club, his wage demands may be the factor that pushes away prospective suitors.

French giants PSG, one of the big spenders, have been linked with the Portuguese star as they look to not only convince their top stars to stay, but also build a huge profile around the squad.

Juventus are reported to have set a €25m price tag on him, which should entice prospective teams targeting him, while PSG are said to be lining up an offer which involves Italian Mauro Icardi in a player exchange.