Revealed: Messi’s reaction to Cristiano Ronaldo’s shock Juventus transfer

Lionel Messi has revealed he was surprised Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus and his move has weakened Real Madrid.

Ronaldo joined Juventus in a shock £100m deal towards the end of the 2018 World Cup after a nine-year stint at Madrid.

The 33-year-old is yet to hit the ground running for the Old Lady but Messi believes the Serie A giants must now be considered favourites for the Champions League this season.

Juventus haven’t won the European Cup since 1996 but believe Ronaldo is the missing piece to the puzzle after losing two of the last four finals.

“Real Madrid are one of the best teams in the world with a great squad [but] it’s evident that the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo makes them less good and makes Juventus [one of the] clear favourites to win the Champions League,” Messi told Catalunya Radio, via London Evening Standard.

“It surprised me. I didn’t imagine him leaving Madrid or joining Juventus. There were a lot of teams that wanted him. It surprised me but he went to a very good team.”

Messi failed for the first time since 2006 to make the final three of the FIFA Best Player award during Monday's announcement, leaving Ronaldo to battle Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah and former Madrid team-mate Luka Modric for the award.

Ronaldo is still looking to score his first Juventus goal and has had more shots than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues this season without finding the back of the net (23).