Italian giants Juventus have fallen significantly in the past few seasons, transitioning from winning the Italian League title successively to missing out on the Champions League. This season, they find themselves without European competitions and are in the process of rebuilding the team under Maximiliano Allegri.
The Bianconeri faced a 15-point deduction due to financial manipulation in transfers, resulting in a seventh-place finish last season. Interestingly, Juventus had once leaked a transfer list before signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.
Juventus’ accidental transfer targets leak
Serie A side Juventus is one of Europe’s biggest clubs and holds the record for the most Italian league titles, winning it 36 times—more than the likes of Napoli and AC Milan. Currently, Juve is second on the Serie A points table with 32 points, trailing behind Inter Milan this season.
As they aim to outshine their previous season’s performances to regain a top-four status in Italy, the Old Lady faces challenges on the way, with two of their key players recently receiving bans. Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli were banned for doping and betting allegations, respectively.
Reportedly, Juventus’ former sporting director Fabio Paratici accidentally leaked the potential transfer players list for the January transfer window while in a restaurant in Milan. Paratici served the club until 2021 before joining the English side Tottenham Hotspur as their new sporting director.
However, before leaving the restaurant Fabio Paratici had torn the paper. A fan recognized him and assembled the pieces of paper together. The list included some big names, Premier League stars such as Christian Romero, Sandro Tonali, and Dominik Szoboszlai, who recently joined Liverpool. Other names were Federico Chiesa and Nicolo Zaniolo.
Cristiano Ronaldo takes credit for reviving Serie A
Cristiano Ronaldo never hesitates to claim credit when it’s due. Earlier, he asserted himself as the pioneer, insisting that his move to Al-Nassr was the motivating factor for other high-profile stars from Europe to join Saudi Pro League clubs this summer. His influence is somewhat unreal wherever he goes.
During the pre-season, Ronaldo, with Al-Nassr, made another bold claim, citing his sensational switch to Juventus from Spanish giants Real Madrid for €100 million in 2018 as the factor that revived Serie A. It also became the most expensive transfer for an Italian club.
In 2022, Ronaldo left Bianconeri after a successful stint in black and white colors, making 134 appearances and scoring 101 goals, with 22 assists. He was awarded the Juventus Player of the Year accolade thrice and lifted five titles with Juve, including two league titles.
