Cristiano Ronaldo remains very much a Juventus player, coach Andrea Pirlo insisted yesterday with the Portuguese star’s future in doubt going into the final game of the season. Juve’s Champions League hopes are no longer in their hands as they head for 11th-placed Bologna needing a win and hoping rivals Napoli and AC Milan slip up.
However, Pirlo does not believe that the game will be Ronaldo’s final one with the club if they fail to qualify for elite European football. “No, I see him still in the ‘Bianconero’ jersey and focused,” Pirlo told a pre-match press conference. “He proved it the other night, sacrificing himself because he wanted to win the Coppa Italia. I see him focused on tomorrow, then there’s time to discuss the rest.”
Juve’s nine-year title run was ended by Inter Milan and failure to qualify for the Champions League would be a financial blow. The competition is worth on average 80mn euros ($94mn) a season to teams. Failure to qualify would make Ronaldo’s annual salary of 31mn euros a year difficult to sustain. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was recruited in 2018 from Real Madrid to help Juventus win the title after two lost finals in 2015 and 2017.
The 36-year-old is the top scorer in the competition with 134 goals. In the meantime, Ronaldo is set to become the first player to finish the season top scorer in three major leagues — England, Spain, and Italy.
He has scored 28 goals so far, six more than Inter’s Romelu Lukaku and Atalanta’s Luis Muriel.
Meanwhile Pirlo also insisted the match would not decide his own future after an erratic first season, during which he won two trophies.
“I don’t think the club will decide my future based on what happens tomorrow,” said the 42-year-old. “They have an idea of what has worked and what has not worked this season. You don’t make decisions just by looking at one last game.”
But he warned: “We really believe in it, we were dead after Milan (defeat) but the results, ours and those of others, allowed us to get back on their feet.”

Top-four finish would be turning point for Milan: Pioli
AC Milan’s final game of the Serie A season against Atalanta today can mark a turning-point for the club as they look to end a long wait for Champions League qualification, manager Stefano Pioli said.
The seven-times European champions have not featured in Europe’s most prestigious club competition since 2013-14, but head into the final weekend with their fate in their own hands. Milan are third, level on points with fourth-placed Napoli and one point ahead of Juventus in fifth, and a win in Bergamo would guarantee them a top-four finish.
“The final standings will deliver the verdict. We have spoken for the whole year about matches that mark a turning point, and tomorrow will be one. The team is motivated and will be ready to give their all,” Pioli said.
“Evaluations can be made at the end of the season. Tomorrow is too important, where we are today counts for nothing. Today we would deservedly be in the Champions League, but all that counts is where we are tomorrow night.”
Milan started the season strongly and were top of the table until mid-February, but a dip in form has left them at risk dropping to fifth place. Napoli and Juventus face mid-table Hellas Verona and Bologna, while the Rossoneri face second-placed Atalanta. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, guaranteed a top-four finish, are unbeaten in their last three meetings with Milan and thrashed them 5-0 in Bergamo in December, 2019.
“We have shown that we are a strong team. We are facing Atalanta, who have deservedly qualified for the Champions League, but we have the quality to join them there,” Pioli said. “Atalanta are a strong team, last year we were not yet at their level. Now we have closed the gap a lot and tomorrow we have the chance to show that.”

Today’s Fixtures (all times GMT)
Inter Milan v Udinese (1300), Atalanta v AC Milan, Bologna v Juventus, Napoli v Hellas Verona, Sassuolo v Lazio, Spezia v Roma, Torino v Benevento (all 1845)