Juventus Manager Maurizio Sarri Comments On Alleged Rift With Cristiano Ronaldo

Reacting to a supposed rift between him and Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri has described their relationship to be "good."

The problems are believed to have started after Sarri substituted Ronaldo in two straight matches citing the latter is not fully fit. He was withdrawn after just 55 minutes against AC Milan in Serie A, while he was also substituted against Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League a few days earlier.

The Portuguese player even missed Juventus’ 3-1 victory over Atalanta in the Serie A last weekend.

"I don’t know about the news that circulates in Turin, let alone in Spain. My relationship with the player [Ronaldo] is good, then if someone gets angry about being substituted, it’s a positive thing, especially if they have won everything and still have such great motivation. As I have said for 25 years now, I understand why players get angry about being substituted so it doesn’t make me feel hot or cold," Sarri told media in a pre-match conference ahead of Juventus' Champions League match against Atletico Madrid.

Praising Ronaldo, Sarri said if a player who has won so much is angry about being substituted, he still has a lot of motivation.

The rumors about a rift came in the light when Sarri claimed Ronaldo is unfit, the forward still played full 90 minutes for Portugal where he also scored his 99th international goal and led his team to a 2-0 win over Luxembourg, sealing their place at Euro 2020.

Ronaldo also scored a hat-trick and lasted 83 minutes in Portugal's 6-0 thrashing of Lithuania three days earlier.