Juventus

Juventus announced it has triggered the €18.5 million clause to make Weston McKennie's move from Schalke permanent.

Juve initially paid €4.5 million to loan McKennie in August for the 2020-21 season. He has since become a staple of the midfield, making 14 starts in 21 Serie A appearances.

The loan initially looked a bit risky for the 22-year-old. Going from Schalke to Juventus was undoubtedly a step up in terms of prestige, but playing time looked like it might be hard to come by. Arthur just arrived from Barcelona, while Aaron Ramsey, Rodrigo Bentancur and Adrien Rabiot were holdovers from last season.

However, McKennie has given first-year manager Andrea Pirlo little choice but to regularly include him in the lineup. His four Serie A goals are fourth-highest in the squad, and WhoScored.com rates him as Juve's seventh-best player (6.92) in league play this season.

Most tellingly, Pirlo has started McKennie in four Champions League matches and brought him on as a substitute in another two fixtures. The United States men's national team star scored in Juve's 3-0 group-stage victory over Barcelona on Dec. 8.

Signing McKennie beyond this season became a no-brainer for both parties.

One way or another, his permanent departure from Schalke was inevitable as the German side sits at the bottom of the Bundesliga with nine points through 23 matches. His loan deal was precipitated by Schalke's financial situation, which will only get worse in the event they get relegated.

For Juventus, this could be a home run.

McKennie's transfer fee could eventually climb to €25 million, which would still wind up being a bargain. Transfermarkt estimated McKennie's value at $27.5 million in December, up from $24.2 million in October. In the event Juventus ever wanted to send him elsewhere, they would have little trouble recouping their investment and then some.

Cristiano Ronaldo's pet cat is going to be all right.

According to TMZ Sports, Pepe, a hairless Sphynx cat, was run over by a car after leaving the family residence in Turin, Italy. Georgina Rodriguez, Ronaldo's girlfriend, told the Spanish magazine InStyle that the cat is recovering in Spain.

"It was close to death, and after a month-and-a-half in intensive care at the vets, we've decided my sister Ivana should look after it," Rodriguez said.

With Pepe in good hands, Ronaldo led Juventus to a dominant 3-0 victory over Crotone in Monday's Italian Serie A contest.

He scored two goals, while USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie added the third.

Juventus and United States men's national team midfielder Weston McKennie had his home burglarized during Juventus' 4-0 win over SPAL in the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia on Wednesday.

According to ESPN's Andrew Cesare Richardson, authorities believe the burglary was planned ahead of time with the knowledge that McKennie would not be at home.

The burglars reportedly took "branded shoes and clothes, as well as several other objects of value."

McKennie came off the bench in the 87th minute Wednesday to help finish off Juve's impressive victory.

The Texas native is playing for Juventus on loan from Schalke 04, and he has scored four goals in 21 appearances across all competitions during the 2020-21 season thus far.

McKennie, 22, is one of a number of fast-rising American youngsters alongside the likes of Christian Pulisic, Sergino Dest, Giovanni Reyna, Tyler Adams, Josh Sargent and Timothy Weah.

Although no known suspects have been reported in the burglary, Richardson noted that the authorities did a sweep of McKennie's home to check for DNA evidence.

For years, one of the biggest debates in world soccer centered around whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi was the better player.

Following Juventus' 3-0 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League, Ronaldo downplayed any competitive rivalry with Messi on the pitch, per ESPN FC's Samuel Marsden: 

"I have always had a cordial relationship with Messi. As I have said before, for 12, 13, 14 years [I have been] sharing prizes with him.

"I never saw him as a rival. He always tried the best for his team and I tried the best for mine. I always got on well with him. I am sure he will say the same if you ask him.

"But we know in football people always look for a rivalry to create more excitement."

Regardless of what Ronaldo says, he and Messi have been inextricably linked for more than a decade.

Ronaldo finished runner-up to Kaka in the 2007 Ballon d'Or voting, with Messi coming in third. The Portuguese star earned his first Ballon d'Or in 2008 as Messi placed second. One or the other has lifted the trophy in 11 of the past 12 years.

Ronaldo and Messi were also on opposite sides for one of the sport's biggest derbies for a period of nine seasons while the former starred for Real Madrid. Barcelona claimed six La Liga titles to two for Madrid during that stretch, but Los Blancos had a slight edge in the Champions League, winning the competition four times to Barca's two.

Their joint involvement in El Clasico only added to the Ronaldo/Messi dynamic.

Time waits for no man, even when that man is a legendary athlete.

Tuesday's fixture carried an added level of meaning because it might be the last time Ronaldo and Messi cross paths in a meaningful match. The former turns 36 in February, while latter is 33 and might wind up playing elsewhere in 2021-22 after he was unable to secure a transfer from Barcelona earlier this year.

Clearly there will be a time when Ronaldo and Messi are no longer two of the best players in the world, but it will feel odd nonetheless when that's no longer the case.

Juventus announced Friday that Cristiano Ronaldo no longer needs to isolate at home after a negative diagnostic test for COVID-19. 

Juventus play Spezia in Serie A on Sunday and return to the Champions League on Wednesday against Ferencvaros.

The Portuguese football federation announced Oct. 13 the five-time Ballon d'Or winner tested positive for COVID-19 while on national team duty. He was flagged for a second positive test while isolating, which prolonged his return.

Not surprisingly, Juve's fortunes have suffered without Ronaldo leading the attack. They drew with Crotone and Hellas Verona in Serie A and suffered a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Barcelona on Wednesday.

The future of manager Andrea Pirlo is already the subject of speculation. The Daily Mail's Alvise Cagnazzo reported Juventus are still behind the legendary former midfielder but "have plans for a worst-case scenario."

Getting Ronaldo back will undoubtedly be a boost for the club since his absence laid bare how reliant the nine-time reigning league champions have become on the 35-year-old. His three goals are still tied for highest on the team across all competitions.

It's unclear whether Pirlo will immediately insert Ronaldo into the starting squad for Sunday or instead give him a more gradual transition back to game action.

Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will not play in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League match against Barcelona after being left out of the squad. 

On Tuesday, ESPN reported "the Italian champions failed to declare the Portugal international had tested negative in time" to be eligible to play.

According to ESPN: "UEFA protocol states a player has until 24 hours before kickoff to return a negative test before he can be declared available. As Juve and Barca meet on Wednesday and no negative test was presented to UEFA, Ronaldo will not be available for selection."

Juventus confirmed on Wednesday that Ronaldo is not in the matchday squad, officially ruling him out of the contest:

Ronaldo tested positive for the coronavirus Oct. 13 while with the Portugal national team.

Italy's sports minister, Vincenzo Spadafora, suggested the 35-year-old forward may have broken COVID-19 protocols by traveling back to the country after testing positive, per Ryan Kelly of Goal. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner denied those allegations in an Instagram post.

"I did not break any protocol," Ronaldo said. "They're saying that I broke Italian laws, but it's all a lie. I spoke with my team, and we have the responsibility to do things right. Everything was done with authorization. Principally for the Italian man whose name I'm not going to say, it's a lie. I abided by all the protocols."

Juventus kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday. Alvaro Morata, who filled the void created by Ronaldo's absence, scored both goals.

"Playing in the Champions League with this shirt is a great emotion," Morata told reporters. "We want to get right to the end, and we're fighting for this. It was important to win against a team that can give you problems because they are fast and very young."

Morata will likely play the same role against Barcelona with Ronaldo still sidelined.

It will also delay the latest chapter in the longtime rivalry between Ronaldo and Barca's Lionel Messi until Dec. 8, when the clubs are scheduled to face off at Camp Nou to close out the UCL group stage.

Juventus announced Wednesday that United States men's national team star Weston McKennie tested positive for COVID-19.

"In compliance with the regulations and the protocol, the team entered into fiduciary isolation this evening," the club said. "This procedure will allow all persons negative to the controls to carry out regular training and match activities, but will not allow contact with people outside of the group."

Juventus also confirmed under-23 player Lucas Rosa and a member of the U23 staff tested positive.

McKennie is the second Juve senior player to test positive in as many days, though Cristiano Ronaldo was on national team duty with Portugal when the Portuguese Football Federation confirmed his positive result.

Ronaldo has since returned to Turin but will remain at home until his period of isolation is over.

Juventus announced Oct. 3 that two of their staff members had tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the club into "fiduciary isolation." They were scheduled to play Napoli on the following day, but Napoli declined to show up, citing recommendations from local health officials.

Both McKennie and Ronaldo will have to quarantine for at least 10 days before they're permitted to resume playing.

That will rule them out for Saturday's Serie A match with Crotone and the Champions League opener Tuesday against Dynamo Kyiv. They could be available to take the pitch Oct. 25, when Juve play Hellas Verona. Three days later, the nine-time reigning Serie A champions play Barcelona in the Champions League.

McKennie signed with Juventus in August on a one-year loan from Bundesliga side Schalke. Juve can make the move permanent by paying €18.5 million.

The 22-year-old has started in each of the club's first two league matches.

A Nevada federal judge will hear arguments in the case regarding the rape allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Ken Ritter of the Associated Press. 

Kathryn Mayorga says Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel suite in 2009 after meeting at a nightclub. The Juventus star says the two had consensual sex, but the two sides reached a confidentiality agreement in 2010 and Mayorga was paid $375,000.

Mayorga's attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, argues she "was pressured by Ronaldo's representatives and lacked the legal capacity to sign a non-disclosure agreement," per Ritter.

"The court must decide whether Mayorga lacked the mental capacity to assent to the settlement agreement," U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey wrote.

Mayorga filed the lawsuit against Ronaldo in 2018 after details of their agreement leaked to European publications. The 37-year-old is seeking at least $200,000 in damages for conspiracy, defamation, breach of contract, coercion and fraud.

With a judge agreeing to hear the case in public, details of the 2010 agreement could potentially be unsealed.

It's not currently known whether Ronaldo or Mayorga must attend the trial in person. No date for the proceedings has been set.

Juventus have gone into isolation after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

"This procedure will allow all members who tested negative to the controls to carry out regular training and match activities, but will not be allowed contact with outside the group," the club said in a statement Saturday. "The club is in constant contact with the competent health authorities."

The Italian champions said none of the infected individuals are players or members of the technical or medical staffs, and they added they expect to be able to play Sunday's scheduled game against Napoli.

However, Napoli are dealing with an outbreak of their own after midfielder Piotr Zielinski and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 during testing this week, and Reuters (h/t ESPN) noted reports from Italy suggesting the team may be banned from travelling to Turin to face Juventus. 

Napoli's last game was Sunday against Genoa, who have had several players and staff members test positive. 

Juventus announced Tuesday it signed striker Alvaro Morata from Atletico Madrid on a one-year loan worth €10 million.

The deal allows for the Serie A champions to extend Morata's stay in Turin. Juve can pay €45 million to make his move permanent after the 2020-21 season. They would need to pay €10 million to keep him on loan through 2021-22, after which a €35 million fee would be attached to a permanent transfer.

Morata spent two seasons with Juventus before Real Madrid triggered a buy-back clause in June 2016. In 63 league appearances, he had 15 goals and 12 assists.

To date, the 27-year-old's reputation has largely outpaced his production on the pitch. He has never scored more than 15 league goals in a season, a feat he achieved once with Madrid in 2016-17. Despite that, he has shuffled through a number of prominent clubs across Europe.

Morata will likely benefit from the supporting cast around him, which ensures he doesn't have to be the primary goalscoring threat in every match.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored 52 goals through his first two years at Juventus, while Paulo Dybala proved his worth to the club after a potential move to the Premier League fell through.

Juve were looking to replace Gonzalo Higuain, who left for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. Sky Italia reported earlier this month they had Edin Dzeko and Olivier Giroud on their list of targets. That arguably speaks to a club attempting to bolster its forward depth rather than aiming for a player to transform its attack.

With that in mind, Morata is a solid addition.