The beginning of the end: The moment Cristiano Ronaldo decided to leave Juventus

UEFA Champions League qualification has always been a right for Juventus, and Cristiano Ronaldo also. In over 17 years as a full professional, the Portuguese forward has not spent one season not playing in Europe's premier club competition. However, during the 2020/21 season, with just 90 minutes left to the end of the season, Juventus weren't assured of a UEFA Champions League spot yet. Helped by the mercurial Ronaldo, and most importantly a profligate Napoli side, the Bianconeri sealed a spot in the Top 4 to guarantee Champions League football. 

However, success on that day would mean despair later because Cristiano Ronaldo came close to an unprecedented season in Europe's lesser competition, the Europa League. This occurrence made the 5-time Ballon d'Or winner realise it was time to end his Italy sojourn and look for newer challenges. Despite the 36-year-old being brought in to deliver the elusive UEFA Champions League crown for the Old Lady, the club actually performed worse in the competition while Cristiano Ronaldo was on the books as compared to before he joined. Reaching 2 consecutive finals was the highlight of Juventus' push for the title but with Ronaldo on board, the Old Lady failed to reach the quarter-finals on all occasions. This alone made Ronaldo's journey in Italy feel like a failure. 

Before the 2020/21 season, Juventus had won a record 9 consecutive Serie A titles. Antonio Conte's 2011/22 triumph was the start of this sequence that got broken in 2021 by ironically the same man to start it, Conte. That Inter Milan won the 2020/21 Serie A isn't the news, but the manner in which Juventus' title defence crumbled under coach, Andrea Pirlo. Spending almost all season off the top of the table and spending some time below Top 4 is simply unacceptable for Cristiano Ronaldo. Thus, the poor performance of this Juventus squad was one of the major reasons Cristiano Ronaldo chose to leave Juventus. 

After a dismal 2020/21 season under club legend Andrea Pirlo, Juventus brought back Massimiliano Allegri to the Allianz Arena. The Italian tactician was hugely successful in his first spell with the club, which included Serie A titles and regular UEFA Champions League final & semi-final berths. However, the appointment of Allegri is not good news to Cristiano Ronaldo. It is rumoured that Allegri would prefer his team without Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Despite Allegri being at the helm when Cristiano Ronaldo was signed in 2018, the tactician wasn't fully in support of the signing. This led to a deterioration in the relationship of Ronaldo and Allegri during the coach's previous spell. With Allegri re-joining, it almost seemed like a move to get Ronaldo out. Thus, poor performance in major competitions and a poor relationship with Massimiliano Allegri led to the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus.