Cristiano Ronaldo's mom is trying to lure him back to boyhood club Sporting Lisbon as unrest about his future in Italy grows
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Barnaby Lane
May 14, 2021, 17:30 IST
Ronaldo and his mother, Dolores Aveiro.Getty/Massimo Pinca
Cristiano Ronaldo's mother says she is trying to convince her son to return to Sporting Lisbon.
Sporting, Ronaldo's first pro club, recently won its first Portuguese league title since 2002.
Ronaldo's future at current side Juventus is unsure as a rift grows between him and his teammates.
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Cristiano Ronaldo's mother, Dolores Aveiro, has said she will try to convince her son to return to his boyhood club Sporting Lisbon this summer as speculation grows about his future in Italy.
His exploits in front of goal, however, haven't stopped Juventus enduring its worst year in almost a decade. The club is currently fifth in the Serie A table, and with just two games to play, is on course to miss out on qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2010/11.
Juve's struggles are a stark contrast to Ronaldo's first club Sporting, which recently sealed its first Primeira Liga title since 2002.
Aveiro, a Sporting fan, announced during the club's title celebrations that she would try to bring Ronaldo back to the club next season.
"Next year he will play in Alvalade [the Estádio José Alvalade, Sporting's home ground]."
Ronaldo came through the academy at Sporting, but made just 31 senior appearances before Manchester United splashed out $17 million to bring him to Old Trafford in 2003.
The Portuguese star went on to score 118 goals in six seasons for United, winning three Premier League titles and the Champions League before completing a world record $119 million move to Real Madrid in 2009.
After nine glistening seasons in Spain, in which Ronaldo scored 405 goals and won the Champions League four times, he moved to Juventus in the summer of 2018.
His future in Turin is is currently up in the air however, with Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claiming that if Juventus miss out on next season's Champions League, Ronaldo will push to leave the club this summer.
"If Juventus will be out of the Champions League the feeling here in Italy is that Cristiano will ask to leave," Romano said on Tuesday.
"The bottom line is he wants to play in the Champions League and Juventus still have three game left to get there - but it's difficult for Juventus at the moment."
Ronaldo's situation is further complicated by a reported breakdown in his relationship with his teammates. Gazzetta Dello Sport reported earlier this week that Ronaldo and the rest of Juve's players rarely speak, and have grown increasingly frustrated with the special treatment he receives.
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