A Talent Not Everyone Knows How to Use

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most dominant players on the planet — a footballer every manager would dream of having. Or at least, that’s what we thought… until Andrea Pirlo came along. The two coincided at Juventus during the 2020–2021 season, and although the Portuguese forward delivered spectacular numbers, his relationship with the Italian coach was anything but smooth.

Pirlo’s former assistant, Alparslan Erdem, revealed previously unknown details in the InTORnational podcast from the German newspaper Bild. According to him, Pirlo admitted he struggled to fit Cristiano into his tactical system. “Pirlo didn’t want Ronaldo in his team, but there was nothing he could do about it. We analyzed the data, and it showed Cristiano was the worst at sprints and pressing,” Erdem explained.

Morata, Pirlo’s Favorite

Beyond the numbers, Erdem said the issue was purely tactical. “Pirlo preferred Álvaro Morata because he fit perfectly into his 4-4-2 system. The setup just didn’t work with Ronaldo or Dybala,” he revealed.

The revelation shocked many, especially since Ronaldo ended that season with statistics that silenced any criticism: 36 goals and 5 assists in 44 matches. Meanwhile, Morata had a strong campaign of his own, scoring 20 goals and providing 11 assists, though with a far more supporting role.

Brilliant Results, Difficult Chemistry

Despite the friction, Cristiano was still Juventus’s main attacking force that season. Yet the team failed to make an impact in Europe, and the partnership between player and coach lasted just one year. Pirlo left the club in 2021, and Ronaldo returned to Manchester United, closing a chapter where individual brilliance clashed with tactical ideals.

In retrospect, the assistant’s words confirm what many already suspected: even the greatest don’t fit into every system. And when it comes to Cristiano Ronaldo, the problem is rarely performance — it’s that his greatness doesn’t always fit inside anyone’s plans.