August 20 – Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t score on his debut as Juventus edged past Chievo Verona 2-3, but the Portuguese superstar’s landing in Italy has firmly turned the spotlight on Serie A, with the league’s commercial appeal skyrocketing.
Italy’s leading sports daily Gazetta Dello Sport coined Ronaldo’s move to Turin ‘the signing of the century’ and the faint disbelief about Ronaldo’s transfer lives on in Italy. The Portuguese superstar has dominated the news cycle, every detail of his life fascinatingly dissected: his astounding goal-scoring record, his aura and wealth, and even what Pele tweets about him. The Juventus number seven has single-handedly changed the matrix of the Italian topflight, which, for the first time, collectively spent more than a billion euros in the transfer market.
On Saturday, Chievo all but sold out their Bentegodi stadium as Ronaldo debuted in Serie A. Last season the Verona-based club managed that feat just once. In total, Juventus sold out away venues eleven times in the 2017/18 season and that figure is expected to rise this season as the mania around Ronaldo, who left Madrid for a transfer fee of $133 million and an approximate $254 million in salary over the next four years, rolls on across Italy.
Juventus, in total, committed $387 million to landing Ronaldo, a statement, not so much for Serie A, but for the club’s elevated and longstanding ambitions in Europe.
The commercial value of Ronaldo was, however, never in doubt. The club sold 29,300 season tickets even though prices were upped from last season. The Old Lady also gained massively on social media, with four million new followers on Instagram in the weeks since Ronaldo signed, and an extra two million likes on Facebook. KPMG estimates the club may bank up to $114 million in revenue during the first three years of Ronaldo’s contract. Serie A’s TV rights deal was concluded before Ronaldo’s arrival, but the value of those rights will have also increased.
The Portuguese had a mixed debut in Verona. He was guilty of losing possession too often and struggled in Juventus’ front four. In a controversial finale, the five-times Ballon d’Or winner fractured Sorrentino’s nose and causing him whiplash injuries during a late collision. Federico Bernardeschi stabbed home a late winner to ensure Juventus bagged their first three points of the season.
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