Massimiliano Allegri brushed aside speculation about Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus future insisting on Tuesday the Portugal captain was fired up for the new season.
Allegri, 53, returns as Juve coach two years after being replaced despite winning a fifth consecutive league title, paying for the club’s failure in the Champions League they last won in 1996.
It was Allegri who brought Champions League record goal scorer Ronaldo to Turin in 2018 on a four-year deal to try and win the European title after finishing runners-up in 2015 and 2017.
“Ronaldo? He’s back with great motivation,” Allegri told a press conference of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner who had been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
“Ronaldo is a great champion, an extraordinary player and an intelligent lad. I talked to him just as I talked to the other players.
“I told him that this year is an important year, that I am happy to find him again and that he has a greater responsibility than three years ago because we had a very experienced team back then.
“Today, in addition to putting his qualities on the pitch, I also expect things from him in terms of responsibilities.”
