MILAN: Cristiano Ronaldo remains very much a Juventus player, coach Andrea Pirlo insisted on Saturday with the Portuguese star’s future in doubt going into the final game of the season.
Juve’s Champions League hopes are no longer in their hands as they head for 11th-placed Bologna needing a win and hoping rivals Napoli and AC Milan slip up.
However, Pirlo does not believe that the game will be Ronaldo’s final one with the club if they fail to qualify for elite European football.
“No, I see him still in the ‘Bianconero’ jersey and focused,” Pirlo told a pre-match press conference.
“He proved it the other night, sacrificing himself because he wanted to win the Coppa Italia.
“I see him focused on tomorrow, then there’s time to discuss the rest.”
Juve’s nine-year title run was ended by Inter Milan and failure to qualify for the Champions League would be a financial blow.
The competition is worth on average 80 million euros ($94 million) a season to teams.
Failure to qualify would make Ronaldo’s annual salary of 31 million euros a year difficult to sustain.
Meanwhile, Pirlo also insisted the match would not decide his own future after an erratic first season, during which he won two trophies. “I don’t think the club will decide my future based on what happens tomorrow,” said the 42-year-old. — AFP
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