Cristiano Ronaldo joining Juventus in €100m deal from Real Madrid
Forward asked to leave Real after nine years at club
33-year-old signing four-year deal worth £500,000 a week
Cristiano Ronaldo is joining Juventus after the Italian club agreed a €100m (£88.3m) fee for the Portuguese forward with Real Madrid.
The 33-year-old is ready for a new challenge after nine years at Real Madrid and asked the club to let him go. The player and his agent, Jorge Mendes, met the Juventus chairman, Andrea Agnelli, in Greece on Tuesday to discuss the final details of the deal.
Ronaldo is signing a four-year contract with an annual salary of around €30m. In Italy clubs have to pay the same amount in tax, which takes the total cost of the transfer to €340m (€100m transfer fee plus €240m in salary and taxes).
“I only have feelings of enormous gratitude for this club and for this city,” Ronaldo wrote in an open letter to Real Madrid fans. “I have had nine absolutely wonderful years at the club.
“Real Madrid has conquered my heart, and that of my family, and that is why more than ever I want to say thank you: thank you to the club, the president, the directors, my colleagues, all the staff, doctors, physios and incredible people that make everything work.”
He finished his letter by saying: “Thanks to everyone and, of course, as I said that first time in our stadium nine years ago: Hala Madrid!”
Real Madrid released a statement on Tuesday saying that they had agreed to the transfer “at the will and the request of the player”. The statement added: “Real Madrid would like to express its gratitude to a player who has proved to be the best in the world and who has made this one of the most brilliant times in the history of our club.
“Beyond the titles he won during these nine years, Cristiano Ronaldo has also been an example of dedication, work, responsibility, talent and constant improvement.”
Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009 after six years at Manchester United. He won four Champions League titles at Madrid and two league championships as well as two Spanish Cups and three Fifa Club World Cups.
He also became Madrid’s record scorer with 451 goals in 438 games. While there he won four Ballon d’Ors and three Golden Boots.
Madrid finished their statement by saying: “For Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo will always be one of our greatest symbols and a unique reference for our next generations. Real Madrid will always be your home.”
Courtesy: www.theguardian.com
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US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
