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Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammates are rallying against him, saying he broke Juventus' ethos of 'equality, unity, and humility'

Oct 27, 2021, 19:37 IST
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Ronaldo was criticized for his lack of defensive work. Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
  • Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammates have hit out at the Portuguese forward's contributions.
  • Italian media outlet Tuttosport reports that Ronaldo breached Juventus' key principles of "equality, unity, and humility."
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Cristiano Ronaldo has been slammed by his former teammates with claims he broke the ethos of "equality, unity, and humility" at the club.

The Portuguese forward, who now plays for Manchester United, spent three years at Italian club Juventus but his former teammates claim he was "never part of the pack."

According to Italian media outlet Tuttosport, his former teammates were unhappy with Ronaldo's defensive contributions.

Leonardo Bonucci was one of the players that spoke out. Getty/Chris Ricco

The media organization also reports that Ronaldo's lack of contribution broke an ethos that the club had worked to form based on "equality, humility and unity."

Tuttosport's report points to comments in recent months from veteran defenders Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, both critical of Ronaldo's influence on the team.

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Speaking at the end of September, Bonucci effectively said that Ronaldo's presence made many of his teammates lazy, as they started to believe he could single-handedly win them games.

"We began to fall a little short in our daily work, the humility, the sacrifice, the desire to be there for your teammate day after day," he told the Athletic.

"Do we play more as a team? It is absolutely true," he said at a later date, per Tuttosport's report.

"This year we are rediscovering that right humility that is needed to regain victory."

Giorgio Chiellini won the European Championship with Italy in the summer. Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Bonucci's words were echoed by his defensive teammate Giorgio Chiellini who said Ronaldo needed "new stimuli and a team that played for him," Tuttosport reported.

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Ronaldo joined Juventus for 100 million euros ($116 million) in July 2018 and scored 81 goals in 98 Serie A games. However he did not achieve the objective he was signed for, helping Juventus win the UEFA Champions League.

Towards the end of his time at Juventus there was much speculation that he had lost support in the dressing room, particularly after an incident in which he skipped training to collect a $2 million Ferrari.

Since joining Manchester United, he has scored six goals in 10 games but has again been criticized for his lack of defensive contribution.

United are struggling this season even with Ronaldo in the team, and the star had a nightmare game on Sunday against arch rival Liverpool. Ronaldo himself was almost sent off and had a goal disallowed, while his team lost 5-0.

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