A tribute to the legend that is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Earlier this summer, Cristiano Ronaldo shocked the entire footballing world into a collective silence when he departed Real Madrid for Juventus in a €100 million deal.
In nine record breaking seasons at the Spanish club, he won 15 major honors, 4 Ballon d’Ors, and also scored 450 goals in 438 appearances.
While there have always been rumors of him leaving Madrid before, no one actually expected a transfer to materialize.
His relations with club president Florentino Perez were rumored to have deteriorated recently, fueling his move to Italy
In all the melee surrounding his transfer, Real Madrid haven’t had the opportunity to organize a proper farewell for him yet.
And now according to the Daily Mail, they will invite Juventus to participate in the traditional Santiago Bernabeu Trophy, a friendly organized every year in late August or early September.
The match is generally used to showcase Real Madrid’s latest acquisitions from the summer transfer window, or to pay tribute to a player who has just left the club.
It was first started in 1979 as a tribute to Real’s former President and Director of football, Santiago Bernabeu. Initially a four team tournament, it has since evolved into a one-off match.
Last year, Real played Fiorentina, with goals from Borja Mayoral and Ronaldo giving them a 2-1 win.
Iker Casillas and Porto were invited to participate in 2017 and 2018, but unfortunately, the Portuguese side were unable to compete.
The Los Blancos will use the 2019 edition of the friendly to give Ronaldo the farewell that he deserves.
Real are yet to sign a direct replacement for Ronaldo in the transfer window, although Eden Hazard has been incessantly linked with a move away from London.
However, Vinicius Jr, the 18 year old winger who was signed from Flamengo in 2017, finally made his debut in pre-season, and impressed fans with his exciting wing play. The Brazilian might be an interesting long term option for Julen Lopetegui.
The 2018 Bernabeu Trophy will be played on the 11th of August against AC Milan.