Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Juventus in the summer of 2018 in order to turn them into European champions for the first time since 1996.

The Portuguese superstar has won two Serie A titles with the Old Lady and scored an incredible 52 goals in 64 league appearances.

But Ronaldo has been unable, so far, to deliver the trophy that his current employers crave most.

Juve were dumped out of last season’s Champions League by Ajax in the quarter-finals and failed to reach the last eight this season.

Despite the best efforts of Ronaldo, who scored two goals on Friday night, Juventus were eliminated by Lyon at the Round of 16 stage on away goals.

Maurizio Sarri subsequently lost his job on Saturday after just one season at the Allianz Stadium.

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Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane is reportedly Juve’s first choice to replace the Italian.

Hours after Juventus sacked Sarri - and less than 24 hours after Juve’s Champions League exit - Ronaldo posted the following message on Instagram.

“The 2019/20 season is over for us, much later than usual but yet sooner than we expected,” the five-time Ballon d’Or winner wrote. “Now it’s time for reflection, time to analyse the ups and downs because critical thinking is the only way to improve.

“A huge club such as Juventus must always think like the best in the world, work like the best in the world, so that we can call ourselves one of the best and biggest clubs in the world.

“Winning the Serie A once again in such a difficult year is something that we are very proud of. Personally, scoring 37 goals for Juventus and 11 for the Portuguese National Team is something that makes me face the future with renewed ambition and desire to keep doing better and better each year.

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“But the fans demand more from us. They expect more from us. And we have to deliver, we must live up to the highest expectations.

“May this short vacation break allow us all to make the best decisions for the future and come back stronger and more committed than ever. See you soon!”

No mention of Sarri, which probably isn’t that surprising.

Football Italia say there were reports in Italy today that the 35-year-old had threatened to quit Juventus if Sarri had remained in his role.

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Ronaldo was linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this week but Juve will do everything in their power to keep their star man in Italy.