Cristiano Ronaldo Played Wherever He Wanted to Play at Juventus, Ex-Teammate Spills Secrets

Cristiano Ronaldo has bloomed everywhere he was planted. Ronaldo’s ability to adapt to different clubs peaked during his Juventus stint, where he won domestic titles after multiple title hauls with Real Madrid and Manchester United. Speaking of his Juventus stint, CR7 emerged as the club’s goal machine in the first season. Interestingly, he upped his goal tally not by playing in one sweet spot alone, but by striking from a myriad of positions. The superstar’s versatility was so profound that his ex-teammate Stephy Mavididi says he even ‘invented his own position.’

Stephy Mavididi, now playing for Leicester City, once had the chance to play with some of Europe’s best players in Juventus. In a recent conversation, Mavididi revealed certain awe-inspiring aspects of Ronaldo’s Juventus stint.

Mavididi opens up on the ‘craziness’ of having Cristiano Ronaldo as his teammate

During his recent interview with The Sun, Stephy Mavididi said his confidence soared after playing and competing with world-class players such as Ronaldo, Giorgio Chiellini, and Leonardo Bonucci, among others in Juventus. Thereafter, he lauded Cristiano Ronaldo’s versatile striking skills. “Cristiano invented his own position, he played wherever he wanted to play,” the ex-Juventus star said. Mavididi soon revealed how he benefitted immensely when he was teammates with the Portuguese skipper during scrimmages.

“It was crazy having him as a team-mate. When he’s on your team in training you’re going to win. But when you play against him it’s a nightmare because he’s just so good in every aspect of the game,” the Englishman added. While taking great lessons from Ronaldo, Mavididi also lost certain chances because of him. Mavididi had to compete with CR7 for a spot in Juventus’ forward fleet. Since Ronaldo was unavoidable, the English forward had to compromise and not start in several games. Besides, the 5x-Ballon d’Or winner could also attack from various positions in Juventus, and the club saw a major attacking transition in Ronald’s career.

How versatility transformed Ronaldo in Juventus

Before joining Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo dominated as a left winger at Real Madrid and Manchester United. However, in Turin, though Ronaldo played heavily on the left flank, he slowly transitioned into a center-forward role. When he is not initiating an attack from the left, CR7 would play like a #9, making the best of passes that come from the opposite flank. This versatility paid off for the Portuguese, as he won the Serie A Golden Boot in his first year. Besides, his Juventus numbers were also better than those of his final year in Real Madrid.

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After seeing such success in a center-forward role, CR7 played in that position during his second Manchester United stint. Besides, Al Nassr is also using the Portuguese skipper as a center-forward. As an Al Nassr striker, he beat European superstars to win last year’s Golden Boot. Hence, the latter phase of Ronaldo’s career owes a lot to his Juve days, as that is where he discovered the lethal #9 in him.

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