Cristiano Ronaldo pens farewell letter to Juventus fans after move to Manchester United

The Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga came to a head on Friday, when several tense hours of anticipation ended in the confirmation of the Portuguese star's move to Manchester United from Juventus FC.

Ronaldo had been at the centre of transfer speculations all summer, and he had been linked to numerous clubs including Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Juventus had insisted up until the last minute that he would be staying in Turin, but a report came out on Thursday stating that he had asked to leave.

It was initially believed that he was making his way to join Premier League champions Manchester City, but in another last minute plot twist, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has returned to Old Trafford to re-join the Red Devils.

Shortly after the transfer was announced, Ronaldo took to Instagram to share a video from his Juventus presentation in 2018. With it, he shared a heartfelt letter to Juventus fans.

"Today I depart from an amazing club, the biggest in Italy and surely one of the biggest in all of Europe. I gave my heart and soul for Juventus and I'll always love the city of Turin until my final days. The "tifosi bianconeri" always respected me and I tried to thank that respect by fighting for them in every game, every season, every competition. In the end, we can all look back and realize that we achieved great things, not all that we wanted, but still, we wrote a pretty beautiful story together."

It is true that Ronaldo did not achieve all that he wanted during his time with Juventus, with the UEFA Champions League trophy proving to be elusive. Nevertheless, it was a fruitful time spent in Turin where Ronaldo achieved massive individual and collective success with the club.

He continued his message by sharing an excerpt from the Juventus anthem:

"Juve, storia di un grande amore
Bianco che abbraccia il nero
Coro che si alza davvero
Juve per sempre sara…"

There are mixed reactions in Turin at the moment, but Ronaldo is clear that he has nothing but positive memories from his time with the Bianconeri. "I will always be one of you. You are now part of my history, as I feel that I'm part of yours. Italy, Juve, Turin, tifosi bianconeri, you'll always be in my heart," he concluded.