Cristiano Ronaldo promised Monday to lift his new team,
Juventus, to greater glory after he was mobbed by adoring crowds on
his first public outing for the Italian Serie A champions.
Arriving for the obligatory medical tests following his transfer from
Real Madrid, the Portuguese striker was met by hundreds of fans who
chanted: "Bring us the Champions League title!"
"The Champions League is a very difficult competition to win,
obviously I hope to help" and "take Juventus to an even higher
level," Ronaldo said in a later press conference.
Juventus have won the Serie A for seven years in a row, but in Europe
success has been elusive: They lost the Champions League final to
Barcelona in 2015 and to Real in 2017 - with Ronaldo bagging a brace.
The 33-year-old said joining the Turin club was "an easy decision"
because the Italian champions are "one of the best teams in the
world" and are "used to winning."
Noting that some players of his age choose to end their careers in
places like Qatar or China, Ronaldo said he was still hungry for
challenges in top-level football.
"I did not come here on holiday, but to leave a mark on the history
of this club," he said, adding that he wanted to "always win, always
be the best," and that his "age is not important."
Meeting fans outside Juve's medical centre, the man also known as CR7
signed autographs, smiled and briefly chanted "Juve, Juve," according
to a video Juventus posted on Twitter.
Ronaldo was later driven to club headquarters to sign his four-year
contract and meet club executives, coach Massimiliano Allegri and
team-mates.
"Bem vindo @Cristiano! Happy to see you join the @juventusfc family,"
German midfielder Emre Can, another new Juve signing, wrote on
Twitter.
Ronaldo arrived in Turin on Sunday with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez
and others, though Juve kept quiet about the details to prevent a
mass reception.
Ronaldo's 112-million-euro (131-million-dollar) transfer to Juventus
was announced last week, when the striker said the time had come for
him "to open a new stage" in his career, after nine years with Real.