Cristiano Ronaldo a Goal Machine and Money-making Machine for Ambitious Juventus

Agencies
November 7, 2018

Nov 7: Cristiano Ronaldo's reputation has been tarnished by allegations of rape, but Juventus still believe he will help the Italian giants to reduce the financial gap between them and the world's very biggest clubs.

Juventus take on Manchester United -- the world's richest club and where Ronaldo became a star -- in Turin on Wednesday knowing a draw will seal their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

They are counting on 'CR7' as they look to win the Champions League for the first time since 1996 -- they have lost five finals since then, including in 2015 and 2017. Ronaldo, now 33, has won the trophy five times himself.

"Financially it has been a very rational move," financial expert Carlo Alberto Carnevale Maffe news agency. "The lifetime value of a player extends longer than his biological age.

"On the pitch he's one of the best. Ronaldo also makes the news, he gives visibility, conversation, discussion...raises your intangible value."

The news recently has been as much about the rape allegations in the United States, which Ronaldo himself has strongly denied, insisting he is "an example, 100 percent on and off the pitch".

But Juve president Andrea Agnelli -- who has orchestrated their domination in Italy since taking over the family-owned club in 2010 -- believes "the Ronaldo effect" can propel the "Old Lady of Turin" into another stratosphere.

"We are fully convinced that Ronaldo is an added value in every respect, in terms of business, and will facilitate our global expansion," said Agnelli, who wants to target the US, Chinese and Southeast Asian markets.

According to the Deloitte Football Money League, Juventus are tenth in Europe with annual revenues of 405.7 million euros ($463 million) in 2017, with only three Italian clubs featuring in the top 20.

Manchester United top the list on 676.3 million euros ahead of Real Madrid (674.6m) and Barcelona (648.3m).

On the pitch, Ronaldo has made an impact, scoring seven goals in the champions' best-ever start to a Serie A season. They are on track for an eighth consecutive league title.

Carnevale Maffe believes that Juventus can only gain despite the high price of a deal estimated to cost 340 million euros in total over four years, on top of the 110 million-euro transfer fee.

"When you are so close to success, all the planning, all the strategy may not be enough...the touch of genius is needed, and Ronaldo has that," added Carnevale Maffe, who lectures in Corporate Strategy at Milan's Bocconi School of Management.

'Robust'

Since Ronaldo-fever gripped Juventus, the club's share price jumped from 0.69 euros on July 3, to 1.672 euros on September 19.

But it then dropped 34 percent, starting to slide after his red card in the Champions League against Valencia, followed by the emergence of rape allegations in the United States.

While Ronaldo has denied the claims, two of his sponsors, Nike and EA Sports, said they were "closely monitoring" what Nike called "disturbing allegations".

"There is always an element of random events, unpredictable elements," said Carnevale Maffe.

"Players are physically fragile but business-wise Ronaldo is one of the most robust assets."

The real hope is that Ronaldo will not only help Juventus win the Champions League but attract lucrative commercial deals that will make the Italian club number one in the world.

The father of four has over 323.4 million followers across all social media platforms and is now the most followed person on Instagram with 145 million.

Since his arrival the club's following on social media has increased from 49 million to 62 million.

They say they are already on track for record Ronaldo kit sales for the season, with the black and white shirts costing up to 150 euros each.

Juventus also increased the price of season tickets by 30 percent while talks with Ronaldo were still secret, with all 29,300 sold.

Their 41,507-seat stadium is not as big as other leading European clubs so finding extra revenue not generated from ticket sales is all the more important.

But audit group KPMG have estimated the "Ronaldo effect" will see Juve's revenue jump to 500 million euros in the next two to three seasons.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
February 11,2020

Dubai, Feb 11: Two Indian players-- Akash Singh and Ravi Bishnoi -- and three Bangladeshis have been charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for involvement in the quarrel just after the U-19 cricket World Cup summit clash in Potchefstroom, South Africa on Sunday.

Akash and Bishnoi and three Bangladeshi players -- Md. Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain and Rakibul Hasan -- were found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct after a few players from both sides nearly came to blows after Bangladesh beat India by three wickets to win their maiden U-19 World Cup title.

"Five players have been found guilty of a Level 3 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Support Personnel ... (they) were charged with violating Article 2.21 of the code, whilst Bishnoi received a further charge of breaching Article 2.5," the ICC said in a statement.

"All five players have accepted the sanctions proposed by ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup Match Referee Graeme Labrooy," it added.

A near brawl broke out after Bangladesh’s historic win over India in the final. The Bangladesh players were aggressive during the Indian innings with lead pacer Shoriful Islam frequently sledging the Indian batsmen.

As soon as the match ended, Bangladeshi players rushed into the playing area.

"India's Akash accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of eight suspension points, which equates to six demerit points, which will remain on his record for two years," the ICC said.

Compatriot Bishnoi accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of five suspension points, which equates to five demerit points.

"Bishnoi also accepted a level 1 charge of breaching Article 2.5 for a separate incident during the match, where he used language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter following the dismissal of Avishek Das in the 23rd over," said the ICC.

"For this he received a further two demerit points meaning seven demerit points will remain on his record for the next two years."

Bangladesh's Towhid Hridoy accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of ten suspension points, which equates to six demerit points, which will remain on his record for two years.

Shamim Hossain accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of eight suspension points, which equates to six demerit points, which will remain on his record for two years.

Rakibul Hasan accepted the charge of breaching Article 2.21 and has received a sanction of four suspension points, which equates to five demerit points, which will remain on his record for two years.

All charges were levelled by on-field umpires Sam Nogajski and Adrian Holdstock, third umpire Ravindra Wimalasiri as well as fourth umpire Patrick Bongni Jele. Level 3 breaches carry a minimum penalty of four suspension points and a maximum penalty of 12 suspension points.

The suspension points will be applied to the forthcoming international matches the players are most likely to participate in at either senior or U-19 level. One suspension point equals a player being ineligible for one ODI or T20I, U-19 or A team international match.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 27,2020

Mumbai, Apr 27: The pressure to replace iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps was "immense" due to high expectations from fans says K L Rahul, who has been doing the wicket-keeping duty for India in the limited overs format for some time now.

Dhoni quit Test cricket in 2014 and has not played for India in the limited overs format since last year's ODI World Cup in England.

Rahul kept the wickets in the limited overs series against Australia in January this year and also during the team's tour to New Zealand.

"I was nervous when I was doing it for India because of the crowd pressure. If you fumble, people feel that you cannot replace MS Dhoni. The pressure of replacing a legendary wicket-keeper like MSD was immense as it involved people accepting someone else behind the stumps," Rahul told Star Sports on its show 'Cricket Connected'.

Rahul, who has played 32 ODIs and 42 T20Is, said keeping the wickets is not alien to him since he dons the gloves during the Indian Premier League (IPL) and also when he plays for his Ranji side Karnataka.

"People who follow cricket know that I haven't been away from wicket-keeping for too long as I donned the gloves in the IPL and every time I played for Karnataka," the 28-year-old said.

"I am always in touch with wicket-keeping but am also somebody who is more than willing to take up the role if the team needs me to," he stressed.

Dhoni's career is a matter of intense speculation. Many former players feel that it won't be easy for Dhoni to make it to the national squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Australia. 

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 6,2020

New Delhi, May 6: He has flattered to deceive on umpteen occasions but highly-rated wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson says he has learnt to accept his failures in pursuit of the calm demeanour that former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni possesses.

The 25-year-old from Kerala has always been talked about by the likes of Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir but it hasn't translated into international success with only four T20 Internationals in his kitty in the last five years.

"I have learnt to understand and focus more on my strengths and (be more) accepting (of) the failures. I try to contribute to the team's cause and try to take the team over the line. I am learning to focus and control my emotions while batting like MS Dhoni," Samson said during a podcast organised by Rajasthan Royals.

He recently made a comeback in India's T20 side and it was a worthy experience for him.

"It was great to be a part of the Indian team again. To be a part of one of the best teams in the world, surrounded by players like Virat bhai and Rohit bhai, it was a fantastic experience," Samson said.

In one of the games in New Zealand, Samson was sent to bat in the Super Over, something which made him feel wanted in the Indian set-up.

"It was a great feeling to be trusted by the players such as Virat bhai and Rohit bhai to go out there and bat in the crucial moments. It's a great feeling when the team and the players consider you to be a match winner."

On a lighter note, Samson revealed that he refers to Steve Smith as "chachu" (uncle) after Brad Hodge once started calling him by that name.

"I share a very good relationship with 'Chachu' Steve Smith. He is one of the best brains in world cricket and we all enjoy a lot playing under him."

Asked what's the back story of the nickname, Samson said: "It started with Brad Hodge, he used to call Smith 'Chachu', then when Hodgy left, I started calling Smith 'Chachu'. In return Smith also started calling me 'Chachu'. We both really enjoy and continue calling each other that."

While Dhoni is his idol, he also loves watching Jos Buttler in Royals and makes notes on how the star Englishman prepares for games.

"I observe Jos especially given he too is a wicketkeeper-batsman. He's always working on his skills and his game and never sits idle.

"He's either working on his keeping, batting in the nets or running around the park. I love to observe and know how he thinks and prepares as a keeper before a game.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.