“Cristiano Ronaldo cost more than he produced” - Journalist hits back at Portugal icon for playful dig at ex-Juventus teammate Szczesny

Journalist Riccardo Trevisani has hit back at Cristiano Ronaldo for his attempted jibe at Juventus. The Portuguese forward's recent comment regarding former teammate Wojciech Szczesny's move to Barcelona didn't sit well with Bianconeri fans.

The Polish goalkeeper came out of retirement to join the Catalans this month to help deal with Marc-Andre ter Stegen's long-term injury. Responding to the move, Cristiano Ronaldo suggested that Szczesny had to 'retire before getting a chance to play for a big club.'

The comment was made during a recent meeting between the two players and seemed to imply that Barcelona was a bigger club than the Serie A giants . This left the club's fans enraged and stirred up a controversy.

Speaking to TuttoJuve, Trevisani outlined why Juventus let the Portuguese superstar leave.

“At Juventus, they realized that Cristiano Ronaldo cost more than he produced, so they let him go. Juve has a 130-year history; it was there before Ronaldo and it will be there after him. Not even a champion like him can compromise the history of Juventus. In the end, the club let him go very calmly,” said Trevisani.

Trevisani's commented gave a stark reminder of the Serie A giants' stature in world football. While Ronaldo may have been a star player at Turin, no player, no matter how accomplished, is above the Italian club.

How did Cristiano Ronaldo fare for Juventus?

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Juventus in 2018 from Real Madrid as one of the finest players in the world. The Portuguese had a tremendous run with Los Blancos and was eager to take up a new challenge in his career.

The player enjoyed great personal success during his time at Turin. He spent three years with the Serie A giants, registering 101 goals and 22 assists from 134 games.

However, the Bianconeri endured mixed results on the pitch with the five time Ballon d'Or winner in their team. The Champions League continued to elude them, although their dominance in Italy continued.

Ronaldo won two Serie A titles, two Supercoppa Italiana and one Coppa Italia during his time in Italy. He was ultimately allowed to leave in 2021, with Manchester United paying €15m for his services.

In hindsight, that looked like a good decision from the Serie A giants. The Portuguese had an underwhelming second coming at Old Trafford, before departing in December 2022 to join Al-Nassr. The 39-year-old currently plies his trade with the Saudi Arabian side.