Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus for preseason training on Monday ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.
The Portugal captain arrived at Juve’s Continassa sports complex at 8:30 a.m. CET and was later seen entering the club’s J-Medical centre located in Turin where flocks of fans waited to greet him ahead of undergoing the routine medical check-ups.
Ronaldo, 36, had been on holiday since Portugal’s Euro 2020 defeat to Belgium at the round of 16 on June 27.
The former Real Madrid star becomes a free agent next summer and his immediate future had been the subject of speculation with sources having told ESPN that his representatives were gauging interest from some of Europe’s top clubs.
Juve vice-president Pavel Nedved said after Saturday’s 3-1 win over Cesena, the team’s first preseason friendly, that Ronaldo would honour his contract.
Ronaldo has not openly spoken about his future at the club.
The veteran forward will reunite with Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri later on Monday and the two are set to sit down to discuss the upcoming season.
Allegri was in charge when Ronaldo arrived from Real Madrid in 2018 and returned to Juve to replace Andrea Pirlo in May.
Allegri won five straight Serie A titles with the Bianconeri, including four league and Coppa Italia doubles, and also reached two Champions League finals before being dismissed two years ago.
Ronaldo, who won the Euro 2020 Golden Boot this summer after scoring five goals and setting up one more in the competition, appeared to be in great shape ahead of joining Juve in what will be his fourth season.
👋 Welcome back, boys! 👍⚪️⚫️#ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/7vklbmdMWY— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) July 26, 2021
Ronaldo scored 36 goals in 44 appearances for Juve last season to help the club lift the Coppa Italia.
Despite his 29 goals that saw him finish as Serie A’s top scorer last season, Juve finished fourth.
Juve will play Monza in the Silvio Berlusconi trophy on Saturday before taking on Barcelona at the Joan Gamper Trophy on Aug. 8 at the Camp Nou, a game that could see a potential match-up between Lionel Messi and Ronaldo.
The Bianconeri begin the Serie A season with a trip to Udinese on Aug. 22.
