Juventus had reportedly a contractual obligation that the Portuguese legend would play at least one half of the match.
Juventus FC's Cristiano Ronaldo (R) sits on the team bench prior to a friendly football match between Team K League and Juventus FC in Seoul on July 26, 2019. - Juventus tied 3-3 in a friendly with K League All-Star team in Seoul on July 26, with its players apparently fatigued from a tight schedule that had landed them in South Korea just hours before playing. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
In a rare turn of events, Cristiano Ronaldo was booed by spectators in Seoul as Juventus were up against K-League Stars in a one-off match ahead of the forthcoming Serie A season. The match was a friendly game and part of Juventus’ pre-season preparations.
Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri has now spoken about the issue. Juventus had reportedly a contractual obligation that the Portuguese legend would play at least one half of the match. However, Ronaldo did not come out at all. This meant that Ronaldo was on the bench for the entire duration of the match.
CR7, as a substitute which was not used at all, and watched the entire match from the benches as his team managed a 3-3 draw against K-League All Stars.
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Juve manager Sarri broke his silence on the issue while addressing the media at a press conference.
“We gave room to some of the younger figures who were ready to step up. Ronaldo was very tired, so we decided to rest him,” Sarri said.
“Ronaldo was expected to play, but he was not 100 per cent fit due to muscle fatigue. I spoke with Andrea and Ronaldo before the match and we concluded that it would be best for him to rest.
“Now we have 10 days without games, so we can focus on preparing well in training,” Sarri continued.
The fans booed Ronaldo since they were upset that the superstar player who they had come to watch did not even take the field.
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