The Manchester United manager believes more attention will be on Italy this season following the arrival of a five-time Ballon d’Or winner
Jose Mourinho feels Juventus’ capture of Cristiano Ronaldo will give Serie A a lot of attention in the upcoming season.
The Manchester United manager knows Ronaldo, 33, well, having managed Portugal’s captain and all-time leading scorer at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013.
Serie A had arguably the most exciting title race in Europe’s top leagues last season, as Napoli challenged Juventus for long periods while the Milan clubs also had a resurgence of sorts, and Mourinho says more eyes will be on Italian football after Ronaldo’s stunning move to Turin.
“La Liga no longer has the two best players in the world,” he told Tele Radio Stereo.
“Now one is in Spain and the other is in Italy.
“England have the Premier League, the most competitive championship, with top quality players, one of the most important leagues in the world. So now there are three dimensions.
“Now everyone looks at Italy for Ronaldo, the Premier League because it’s the best league and Spain for [Lionel] Messi.
“Serie A has become one of the most important championships in the world. In football, everything can change.
“If it changes the perspectives of teams like Inter, AC Milan and Roma, if they don’t passively accept Juve with Cristiano becoming stronger – that they will win again and again – and can also find the right motivations from this deal, it can change Serie A in terms of quality, emotions and exposure.
“For this reason, I congratulate Juventus for this coup, which involves football, marketing and merchandising. It’s the complete transfer.”
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo was unveiled at Juventus on Monday after his €100 million (£88m/$117m) move.