Spain: Cristiano Ronaldo admitted he was “a little tense” about his lack of goals before he opened his Juventus account on Sunday.
The 33-year-old, who signed for £99.2m from Real Madrid over the summer, had gone goalless for the first three matches of the season in Serie A but scored twice in a 2-1 win over Sassuolo. His side now top the table, with four victories.
Not usually prone to bouts of self-doubt, Ronaldo said waiting for a goal had been playing on his mind.
“I really wanted to score these first goals and I’m happy to have found the net,” Ronaldo told Sky Sport Italia.
” This is football. The important thing is that the team wins. Obviously, I was a little tense with all the talk after my move from Real Madrid and not scoring, so there were a lot of expectations, but I thank my team-mates for supporting me throughout. I knew that I was working well and it was only a matter of time. I am adapting well to Italian football.”
Juventus signed Ronaldo in an attempt to win the Champions League this season – the Portuguese having played a central role in Real Madrid’s four wins in five years in the competition.
Juve start their European campaign away to Valencia on Wednesday night, with Young Boys and Manchester United also in a competitive looking group.
“The Champions League is my favourite tournament,” he said. “It’s a very difficult group, we know that we can do well and Juve must focus on being the best.”
