Pirlo is helpless before Ronaldo's ego

Pirlo and Juventus do not get along.

Nearly four years later, a revelation from Pirlo's former partner shows that the relationship between the football philosopher's ideas and the Portuguese superstar's instincts have never been in the same direction.

The truth about Ronaldo and Pirlo

Pirlo, a natural thinker and organizer, believes in systems. Ronaldo, a natural scorer, neither needs nor wants to be constrained. When these two worlds meet in Turin, the result is predictable: Ronaldo’s individual performance is still outstanding, but the team is faltering.

In the 2020/21 season, Ronaldo scored 36 goals in 44 games, becoming the fastest player in Juventus history to reach 100 goals. But Pirlo's Juve only finished fourth in Serie A, losing a nine-year championship streak. A paradox that exposed the gap between "Pirlo's football" and "Ronaldo's universe".

Now, Alparslan Erdem - Pirlo's former assistant - revealed interesting details: "Analytical data shows that Ronaldo is the worst at sprinting. Pirlo wants to press high, but his system cannot handle Ronaldo. He prefers Morata, but he cannot ignore Ronaldo because that is Cristiano Ronaldo."

Ronaldo is the type of player who likes freedom.

These words, though cold, summed up the core contradiction of Juventus at the time. Pirlo wanted a team that moved in unison, applying constant pressure – modern football based on the collective. Ronaldo, on the other hand, was the epitome of the exceptional individual, who demanded space, the ball and freedom. He did not press, did not run back much, but at the first opportunity he could make the game his own.

Pirlo is not wrong, Ronaldo is not wrong. The problem is that they never needed each other to shine. Pirlo needed a tactically compliant striker, while Ronaldo needed a coach who built a system around him - like Ancelotti, Zidane or Sir Alex did.

But Pirlo is a philosopher, not a star worshipper. And Ronaldo, despite his professionalism, never accepts a supporting role in any story.

This is not just a Juventus story. From Mourinho to Sarri to Ten Hag to Fernando Santos, every coach who has worked with Ronaldo has had to find a balance between collective discipline and instinctive genius. Some have succeeded, others have failed, but all have to admit: Ronaldo is an exception.

Big crack

Pirlo once praised CR7 for being “cold-bloodedly professional”, but in his heart, he knew he was trying to force a free-form piece into a tactical grid. When the system requires 11 players to move, and one just wants to rush towards the goal, neither can be themselves.

Ronaldo is said to have a big ego.

Juventus that season was like a discordant harmony: Morata played to the coach’s wishes but lacked innovation, Dybala was left out, and Ronaldo scored goals but could not save the team’s soul. In the end, Pirlo left, and CR7 also ended his journey in Serie A, leaving behind a strange legacy - where brilliant personal achievements were not enough to cover up a failed project.

The truth is, at the top of football, not all greats can coexist. Pirlo and Ronaldo – two outstanding personalities – simply do not speak the same footballing language. One speaks of “structure”, the other of “freedom”. And at Juventus, the only thing they agree on, perhaps, is the belief that winning is a must – even if each takes a different path to get there.

Looking back, the Pirlo-Ronaldo marriage is a test for modern football: is there still room for free artists in a world of data, pressing and calculation? Or is it because of people like Ronaldo that football does not become a soulless machine?

Regardless, when Pirlo left Turin and Ronaldo moved to Manchester, both took with them a valuable lesson: not all talents are compatible, and sometimes, the collision between two great minds does not create harmony - but leaves a rift that people will remember forever.

Source: https://znews.vn/pirlo-bat-luc-truoc-cai-toi-ronaldo-post1594385.html