Ronaldo prevents former teammate from playing in Saudi Arabia

Juventus left-back Juan Cuadrado half-joked that Cristiano Ronaldo - his former teammate now playing for Al Nassr - prevented him from playing in the Saudi Pro League.

Cuadrado played for Independiente Medellin, Udinese, Lecce, Fiorentina, Chelsea and then joined Juventus in 2015. In the last eight seasons playing for Juventus, he scored 26 goals and had 65 assists in 314 matches in all competitions, winning five Serie A titles, four Italian Cups and two Italian Super Cups.

The Colombian player could not find common ground in renewing his contract with Juventus and became a free player from July 1. Cuadrado turned 35 on May 26, but has no intention of retiring.

"I'm proud and maybe some people are just starting to realise what my time at Juventus meant," Cuadrado told Spanish newspaper AS from his home country of Colombia. "I can only thank God for having eight years at that level. I dreamed of it, but I didn't think I'd be able to play for Juventus for so long. Hopefully there will be more Colombian players who go to Juventus or Milan and can leave a legacy like that."

Cuadrado (right) and Ronaldo when they played together for Juventus. Photo: AFP

When asked about following in the footsteps of many European stars who have moved to the Saudi Pro League, Cuadrado replied: "I still have the passion and want to compete. Moreover, my old teammate Cristiano Ronaldo is there and he doesn't want me to go to Saudi Arabia. I'm very relaxed and thinking about what's best for me. My agent is in Europe and has just talked to me about many options. Obviously there are many options and we will analyze which offer is the best."

The 35-year-old player also does not rule out the possibility of continuing to play at the highest level to join the Colombian team at the 2026 World Cup. He participated in the last two World Cups, and has scored 11 goals in 115 matches for the team.

Cuadrado played alongside Ronaldo at Juventus from 2018 to 2021, playing 94 times together, winning two Serie A titles, one Italian Cup and two Italian Super Cups. The Colombian midfielder lost his No. 7 shirt when Ronaldo joined the club for $120 million in the summer of 2018. Ronaldo left Juventus in the summer of 2021 to return to Man Utd, but also left the English club early to move to Saudi Pro League to play for Al Nassr from January 2023.

In 2021, the documentary "All or Nothing: Juventus" revealed a heated debate between the star duo during halftime of the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Porto. At that time, Ronaldo was angry and scolded the whole team for playing badly. Cuadradro, after unsuccessfully advising his teammates to calm down, also got angry and shouted at the Portuguese striker: "If the team plays badly, you have to set an example for the whole team."

Hong Duy

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