Daily Times

Almost four months after joining Italian club Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed why he left Real Madrid saying that he felt he was not needed at the club anymore.

Ronaldo’s comments come a day after FC Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 5-1 in the El Clasico, with a hat-trick from forward Luis Suarez and midfielders Philippe Coutinho and Arturo Vidal.

Speaking to France Football, Ronaldo broke silence over his decision to quit Real Madrid. “I felt that inside the club, especially on the part of the president, I was not under the same consideration as I was when I started with the club. The first four or five years there, I had the feeling of being Cristiano Ronaldo. Then, I felt it less. The look in the president’s eyes told me that he no longer felt the same, that I was no longer indispensable,” the Portuguese superstar said.

Sources within Real Madrid had claimed that Ronaldo demanded a pay-rise and a contract extension that would earn him more than Barcelona captain Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-German (PSG)’s Neymar. The differences between the two parties led to them parting ways – a move that has come worse for Madrid.

The whites have had a poor start to the season and are ranked 9th in the league table with recent defeats against Barcelona and bottom-table clubs Levante and Deportivo Alaves.

Coach Julen Lopetegui was also sacked on Monday and will be replaced by B team coach Santiago Solari as the European champions aim for damage control.

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