Cristiano Ronaldo posts Instagram message thanking those who have joined him on his footballing 'journey'
By Sean Walsh
Cristiano Ronaldo has posted a defiant statement on Instagram, 24 hours after he was bizarrely dropped for Juventus' final Serie A game of the season.
Juve needed a win to stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League, but Ronaldo didn't feature.
The club claimed he was dropped due to fixture congestion, but Ronaldo posted a picture of himself shushing on social media post-game.
And now the Portuguese has written up a lengthy statement, proudly acknowledging his career achievements but admitting he and Juventus fell short of expectations this year.
"The life and career of any top player are made of ups and downs," Ronaldo wrote. "Year after year, we face fantastic teams, with extraordinary players and ambitious goals, so we always have to give our best to keep ourselves at excellence levels.
"This year we couldn’t win Serie A, congratulations to Inter for the well deserved title. However, I have to value everything that we achieved this season at Juventus, both in collective and individual terms. The Italian Super Cup, the Italian Cup and the Serie A top scorer trophy fill me with happiness, mainly due to the difficulty they carry with them, in a country where nothing is easy to win.
"With these achievements, I reached a goal that I had set myself since the first day I arrived in Italy: to win the championship, the cup and the super cup, and also to be best player and top scorer in this great football country filled with tremendous players, giant clubs and a very own football culture.
"I’ve already said that I don’t chase records, records chase me. For those who don't understand what I mean by this, it’s very simple: football is a collective game, but it is through individual overcoming that we help our teams achieve their goals. It is always looking for more and more on the field, working more and more off the field, that records eventually emerge and collective titles become inevitable, some being the natural consequence of the other."
Ronaldo reflected on the countries where his career has taken him, though there were slight undertones that he may leave Italy.
"Nothing compares to the feeling of knowing that I’ve left my mark in the countries where I’ve played, and that I gave joy to the fans of the clubs I represented," he continued. "This is what I work for, this is what moves me and this is what I’ll always keep chasing for until the last day. Thanks to everyone who took part in this journey! We stand together!"