Cristiano Ronaldo is leaving Real Madrid.
That stunning statement, after yearslong charades of speculation that invariably proved unfounded, became official Tuesday. Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo, a top-two player on the planet, will complete a lucrative transfer to Juventus.
The Italian club has not yet confirmed its capture of the Portuguese megastar, and might not do so until a medical next week, but all sides have agreed to the deal. Juve president Andrea Agnelli traveled to Greece, where Ronaldo is vacationing, to finalize the deal on Tuesday.
The transfer fee is reportedly $110 million. It will put Ronaldo among the 10 most expensive transfers ever for the second time. An exorbitant salary will bring him closer to, if not beyond, the wages of Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Along with its confirmation, Real Madrid published a goodbye letter from Ronaldo. “I have only feeling of enormous gratitude for this club,” the 33-year-old said. “However, I believe that the time has come to open a new stage in my life, and therefore I have asked the club to accept transferring me.”
Ronaldo departs Madrid on the back of a historic third consecutive Champions League title. He scored an astounding 450 goals and claimed 15 total trophies over nine seasons. He won four Ballon d’Or awards as the best player on the planet.
But there are reasons his glittering tenure came to such an abrupt end.
Why would Real Madrid sell Ronaldo?
For Real Madrid, the breakup marks the commencement of a necessary rebuilding process.
Though the 2017-18 team ascended to the top of Europe once again, fissures had begun to appear. More than half of the threepeat’s core is now over 30. Los Blancos finished 17 points behind Barcelona in La Liga, and benefited from plenty of good fortune in the Champions League knockout stages.
With manager Zinedine Zidane stepping down and former Spanish national team coach Julen Lopetegui replacing him, this summer was the natural starting point. It was time for a refresh before the fissures became full-on cracks.
That’s not to say Ronaldo couldn’t have been a part of the rebuild. At 33, he is still near the height of his powers. But according to reports, if he was going to be a part of it, he wanted another new contract and pay raise that would ensure he was a focal point. Real Madrid was unwilling to make those guarantees to a 33-year-old, and instead decided to part ways.
Why did Ronaldo want to leave Real Madrid?
Ronaldo had three years remaining on his Real contract. But it was reportedly a contract that paled in comparison to those of Messi and Neymar. Ronaldo seemingly wanted more money – either for the money itself, or as symbolic recognition of his worth, or as a sign of long-term commitment from the club, or some combination of the three.
There will be speculation that Ronaldo was in search of a new challenge. Or, as he wrote in his letter, that he felt it was time for a new stage in his life. Or even that he was bored, having won four European titles in five years. And there might be some merit to that.
But the principal factor at play here seems to be Ronaldo’s role at Real Madrid. A move now preempts the previously plausible scenario where Ronaldo fell out of favor with a manager (Lopetegui) who might preferred not to build around an aging striker. Lopetegui’s possession-based system, curated over years with Spain youth teams and the senior team, is unlike any Ronaldo has ever starred in. The two likely could have jelled. But there were no guarantees, especially if and when Ronaldo begins to decline.
This isn’t about Lopetegui, though. Immediately after the Champions League final, Ronaldo was already speaking as if his time in Madrid had come to an end. “It has been very nice being at Real Madrid,” he said then.