Ronaldo hits back at critics

TURIN. — Cristiano Ronaldo has hit back at critics after Juventus endured a shock Champions League exit at the hands of Porto.

The Portuguese superstar, a five-time winner of the competition, crashed out in the Round of 16 for the second consecutive year.

It has thrown his future at the Old Lady in doubt with speculation the club’s bleak finances may force them to let Ronaldo leave at the end of the season.

The 36-year-old, who earns a whopping £500 000-a-week, still has one more year on his contract with the Old Lady.

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane fuelled talk of a sensational reunion with Ronaldo after refusing to rule out a switch.

But it appears the ex-Manchester United ace is eager to focus entirely on the current campaign with his latest Instagram post.

He wrote: “More important than the number of falls you take in life, is how fast and how strong you get back on your feet… True champions never break!

“Our focus is already in Cagliari, in the Serie A struggle, in the Italian Cup final and in everything that we can still achieve this season.

“It’s true that the past belongs in museums (I should say!), but fortunately, football has memory. . . and so do I!

“History can’t be deleted, it’s written every single day with resilience, team spirit, persistence and lots of hard work.

“And those who don’t understand this, will never achieve glory and success #finoallafine” Juventus’ dominant nine-year reign in the Italian Serie A is under serious threat this season.

They sit 10 points behind league leaders Inter Milan but do have chance of silverware in the Coppa Italia as they take on Atalanta in the final.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo wants to make a sensational return to Real Madrid, according to reports.

And Los Blancos have already started negotiations, it is claimed.

The Portuguese icon left the Spanish capital three years ago, joining Juventus for £85million.

Ronaldo (36) was recruited by the Old Lady with the aim of taking them over the line in the Champions League after a series of near misses.

But things haven’t worked out for Juventus in Europe, having failed to go beyond the quarter-finals since Ronaldo’s arrival.

Following their latest exit at the hands of Porto, their second at the round of 16 stage in a row, club chiefs are reportedly eager to offload CR7 for just £25m – in order to rid themselves of his enormous salary.

It’s claimed that Ronaldo earns around £1.1m-a-WEEK gross — which accounts for around a fifth of Juventus’ entire wage budget.

Come the summer, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will still have a year left on his contract. But according to Diario AS, he wants to make a remarkable return to Santiago Bernabeu.

After joining Madrid for a then-world record fee of £80m from Manchester United in 2009, Ronaldo broke all kinds of records with Los Blancos.

He scored 450 goals in 438 games for Madrid, while winning two league titles and four Champions Leagues.

Ronaldo reportedly left Santiago Bernabeu because he no longer felt “indispensable” in the eyes of president Florentino Perez. But it would appear all may be forgiven and forgotten, with a potential reunion on the cards in the coming months.

Ronaldo has bagged 92 goals in 121 appearances for Juventus, adding two Italian Serie A titles to his overflowing trophy cabinet. — AFP.