Cristiano Ronaldo should have followed the lead of eternal rival Lionel Messi and stayed at Real Madrid, claims Rafael van der Vaart.
Having sparked talk of a move elsewhere on the back of a third successive Champions League triumph with the Blancos, the Portuguese superstar duly departed the Santiago Bernabeu in July.
A €112m (£101m/$130m) deal took the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to Juventus, with a record-breaking and goal-laden nine-year spell in the Spanish capital brought to a close.
Ronaldo’s decision to take on a new challenge at 33 years of age came as a surprise to many, with Van der Vaart among those who feel he should have displayed the same loyalty to Madrid as Messi has to Barcelona.