CRISTIANO RONALDO has classily put aside his old Barcelona rivalry and gave a glowing endorsement of the Catalan club.
Miralem Pjanic revealed Ronaldo’s glowing review before the midfielder’s switch from Juventus to the Nou Camp early in the summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave a glowing review of former rivals BarcelonaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Miralem Pjanic spent four years at Juventus before making the switch to SpainCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And instead of rubbishing his former opponents, the ex-Real Madrid legend had nothing but praise for them.
Ronaldo spent over a decade in Madrid and frequently duelled with Lionel Messi’s Barcelona’s, both domestically and in Europe.
But ahead of his team-mate’s move, he encouraged him to join the “great” club.
Pjanic told Mundo Deportivo: “He was disappointed that I was leaving Juventus, but he told me that he thinks I will have a lot of fun in a great team like Barcelona.
“Cristiano has been very professional at Juventus, he is a player who has shown many things and has been very important in the dressing room, setting an example for everyone.”
The 30-year-old also said the culture of the club was key to getting him to join.
He added: “The mentality is the important thing and the one they have is unique.
“They play for many years at a top level and for that you have to be focused on your work, you have to love football.
Ronaldo had nothing bad to say about old foes Barcelona before Pjanic’s moveCredit: Getty Images – Getty
“They always want to improve in all competitions, they are an example for everyone.”
Pjanic joined Barcelona for £45.8million, with Arthur Melo going the other way for £66m.
He’ll join Ronaldo at Juventus, who scored in their opening game of the season in a 3-0 win against Sampdoria.
The 35-year-old hit 31 Serie A goals last season, just the latest extraordinary achievement to add to his list.
He won the Champions League four times during his spell at the Bernabeu and recorded 451 goals in 438 games.
In total, he won 16 trophies and became the club’s all time top goalscorer before departing to Italy.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
