For the third season running, Ronaldo and Juventus suffered disappointment in Europe’s premier club competition on Tuesday when they were knocked out at the round of 16 stage by FC Porto.
Prior to Ronaldo’s arrival in Turin in the summer of 2018, Juventus had won the Serie A title for seven seasons in a row but had also suffered two Champions League final heartaches to Real Madrid and Barcelona in that time.
Ronaldo’s signing was supposed to help Juventus break their Champions League hoodoo that stretches back to 1996 but the five-time Ballon d’or winner has not been to help Andrea Pirlo’s side advance past the quarterfinal stage in his time at the club despite bringing two more Serie A titles to the Allianz Stadium.
The 36-year-old’s contract expires next summer and rumours have been rife in recent days that a sensational return to Real Madrid could be on the cards for the Portuguese.
Nonetheless, Legrottaglie believes Ronaldo should remain in Turin and prove his worth by delivering Juventus’ first European trophy in more than two decades.
“Knowing Cristiano, he isn’t one to run away. He will stay until he reaches his goal. He wants the Champions League and he will try at least for another year,” Legrottaglie told Radio Bianconera.
“Against Porto he performed badly, and was massacred by the critics. I think he won’t give up, as he’ll take on his responsibilities and will try to win the Champions League next year.
“There is great disappointment after the Champions League exit, and the fans have certainly suffered the negative effect as Juventus have shown that they are still at a lower level than the other big teams.
“The disappointment is not only due to being eliminated, but because it happened at the hands of Porto, which isn’t considered to be a great team. It must be understood why a team like Juventus would go out in the second round against Porto.
“The rest is just a part of the game, as the Champions League is different from the domestic competitions in Italy, and certainly some players did not give the support they should have given.
“This Juventus side cannot do without Ronaldo, and they need some solidity in the defensive phase. Several goals had been given to the opposition, therefore there’s something wrong in defence.”
