Cristiano Ronaldo needs love and respect but was scapegoat at Juve, asserts Patrice Evra
Former Juventus star Patrice Evra has admitted that Cristiano Ronaldo needs love and respect to prosper but instead, he was becoming the scapegoat for the club's shortfalls during his time in Italy. Ronaldo left the Old Lady to rejoin Manchester United for his second spell at the club in the summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Juventus in the summer of 2018 for a fee of €100 million from Real Madrid and the mercurial Portuguese continued his prolific scoring rate with the Italian club as he scored 101 goals and provided 22 assists in 134 appearances. The 36-year-old was instrumental in helping the club win two Serie A titles and a Coppa Italia, with him also winning two Serie A Footballer of the Year trophies. But at the same time, there were consistent chatter about how the team was built around him which impeded performances.
After three years at Turin, Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford in the summer after leaving the club in his first spell more than a decade ago. Ronaldo has made a blistering start to the season as he has scored six goals in ten appearances but United's results have been subpar and have attracted similar criticism aimed at the Portuguese superstar. Patrice Evra who played for United and Juventus has come out to defend his former teammate and rubbish the claims.
“Cristiano needs love and respect. Instead, at Juve, he was becoming the scapegoat. The criticisms in Italy have been ridiculous and a bit hypocritical. [It was a] mistake when Allegri said: 'Cristiano will not play all the games'. There is no need to say things in public. In any case, Cristiano's only true love is Manchester United," Evra told La Repubblica.