Maurizio Sarri has said that Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo is “not easy” to manage.
Sarri managed Ronaldo for one season when he was in charge at Juventus between 2019 and 2020.
He left Chelsea – where he had just won the Europa League – to join the Italian giants, and secured the Scudetto in his first season.
But he was sacked last August, shortly after Juve lost to Lyon in the last 16 of the 2019/20 Champions League.
Sarri, who is now in charge of Juve’s Serie A rivals Lazio, has opened up about his time at the club in an interview with Sport Italia.
One key topic was his relationship with Ronaldo, who scored 37 goals in all competitions during the aforementioned season that the Italian was in charge.
Sarri comments on Ronaldo
Sarri said (translation via ESPN): “Ronaldo’s management is not simple, from all points of view.
“He’s a multinational company, he has personal interests that must coincide with football.
“His interests go beyond what is normal, beyond the team or club.
“I am a coach, not a manager. Ronaldo, however, brings the numbers at the end of the year.
“But in recent years, I hear a lot about players and little about teams.”
Ronaldo, whose current deal expires in 2022, has been linked with a possible move away from Juventus this summer.
Gazzetta dello Sport, however, have reported that Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has proposed a possible two-year contract extension with the club.
If such a contract were to be signed, it would commit the Portuguese icon to the Italian club until the age of 38.
Ronaldo scored 29 goals for Juventus in Serie A last season. He won the Golden Boot award for the second consecutive season.
Juve ended the season in fourth place, qualifying for the Champions League via a 4-1 final day victory over Bologna – a game for which Ronaldo was dropped to the bench.
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