Cristiano Ronaldo breaks silence following Champions League exit

One would be very hard pressed to find a more fickle group of people than football fans. Take the case of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was hailed practically as a demigod upon his arrival at Juventus in 2018. However, after their latest elimination from the UEFA Champions League, reports were quick to surface about the Portuguese star's possible departure from the club.

Ronaldo was the center of attention when Juventus was booted out by Porto in the last-16 of the Champions League. Not only did he fail to put his name on the scoresheet last Tuesday, but Porto's winning goal went straight through his legs as he stood as part of the wall for a free kick during extra time.

After days of silence, Ronaldo has finally shared a message to share his thoughts following the latest setback. He took to Instagram to share a photo of himself in training, alongside a lengthy message: "More important than the number of falls you take in life, is how fast and how strong you get back on your feet... True champions never break!," he said.

"Our focus is already in Cagliari, in the Serie A struggle, in the Italian Cup final and in everything that we can still achieve this season," he continued. His words ring true in calling it the Serie A struggle, since the club is indeed struggling to defend their title. They are now trailing 10 points behind leaders Inter Milan, with AC Milan also four points ahead of them in second place.

"It's true that the past belongs in museums (I should say!), but fortunately, football has memory... and so do I! History can't be deleted, it's written every single day with resilience, team spirit, persistence and lots of hard work. And those who don't understand this, will never achieve glory and success," he ended.

Needless to say, Ronaldo has clearly put the losses behind him, and is focused on salvaging the rest of the season.

If all else fails, he will have another year to prove himself before his contract expires in 2022. Speculations about his departure were fuelled by the fact that Juventus Chief Football Officer Fabio Paratici said that talks about a renewal were not yet on the table following the loss against Porto.