Neymar backs 'genius' Ronaldo to make Serie A great again

The Portugal forward’s move to Juventus will benefit Italian football as a whole, according to the Paris Saint-Germain star

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar thinks Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Real Madrid to Juventus will restore Italian football to the level of the glory days he remembers watching as a child.

Ronaldo enjoyed a remarkable spell at Madrid, scoring at least 40 goals in each of his nine seasons at the club to inspire them to 15 major trophies.

However, after helping Madrid secure a third-straight Champions League triumph in May, Ronaldo felt the time was right for a new challenge.

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That brought about his shock move to Juventus for a €100 million ($116m) fee, a deal which has been considered something of a coup for Italian football.

And Neymar, who grew up in a period when Juve, Inter and Milan were all counted among the best in Europe, thinks Ronaldo’s switch could be a turning point for Italy and Serie A.

“Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure for Juventus will change Italian football,” Neymar told reporters.

“It will once again be the Italian football that I saw as a child.

“Cristiano is a great player, is a football legend, a genius, so we have to respect him.”

Neymar, 26, had been strongly linked with a move to Madrid as a direct replacement for Ronaldo.

However, the world’s most expensive player has since reiterated his desire to remain at Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.

Neymar’s team-mate Kylian Mbappe and Chelsea star Eden Hazard have also been linked with a switch to Madrid to replace Ronaldo.