Marotta admits he didn't want to sign Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus

Inter Juventus Latest Latest Transfers News Newsnow Transfer Market

ByLorenzo Bettoni

Feb 6, 2024 08:58

Inter director Giuseppe Marotta confirms he didn’t want to sign Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, but insists he spent ‘ten wonderful years’ in Turin.

Marotta released an extended interview with DAZN following Inter’s 1-0 win over his former club Juventus on Sunday night.

The 66-year-old spent several years in Turin, opening a winning cycle that brought the first Serie A title in Turin after the Calciopoli scandal.

“All my experiences have been important for my growth,” Marotta said.

“My time at Juventus was just as important; it gave me a culture of victory by working on every detail and fixing every little problem. Today, we [Inter] have a winning mentality which was consecrated with the Champions League Final. We lost it, but we understood there was room for improvement. I’ve worked ten years at Juventus with great professionals, it was very important for my growth.”

Marotta left the Old Lady in 2018 months after the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.

Marotta’s reign in Turin was characterised by financial stability and the signing of both big and promising players on a low budget and transfer fee. For example, Marotta signed Paul Pogba on a free transfer in 2012, Carlos Tevez for just €9m from Manchester City in 2013 and Andrea Barzagli for just €300,000 from Wolfsburg in 2011.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, joined Juventus for over €100m from Real Madrid and signed a four-year contract worth €31m per season.

It is widely known that Fabio Paratici, Marotta’s closest collaborator at that time, actively worked on the Ronaldo deal, while Marotta didn’t entirely agree.

“I must recognise that I spent ten wonderful years at Juventus, but when the owners want to adopt a different strategy, then a manager must take a step back,” Marotta confirmed.

“It was fair to respect the club’s desire. I partially didn’t agree with signing Ronaldo. The player can’t be questioned, but the deal was demanding in financial terms. It was not the element that brought the splitting; the cycle was over, and we had to change.”

During the same interview, Marotta confirmed that Inter are currently in talks to sign Piotr Zielinski on a free transfer from Napoli.