The Story of Beppe Marotta's Opposition to Cristiano Ronaldo's Transfer to Juventus

KOMPAS.com - Inter Milan President, Beppe Marotta, revealed the story behind his decision to block the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus during his tenure at the club.

Under Marotta's leadership, Inter Milan won three Serie A titles in the seasons 2020-2021, 2023-2024, and 2025-2026.

The Serie A title win in the 2025-2026 season was a special achievement for Inter Milan, considering they were led by new coach, Cristian Chivu.

Before joining Inter Milan, Marotta was known for his role in Juventus's eight-year Serie A dominance from 2010-2018.

Marotta has a goal to make Inter Milan competitive in European competitions and win the Champions League title.

Inter Milan last won the Champions League title in the 2009-2010 season under Massimo Moratti's leadership.

However, Marotta revealed that he previously blocked Juventus from signing Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018.

Juventus eventually signed Ronaldo, leading to Marotta's departure as CEO in October 2018.

Two months later, Marotta joined Inter Milan and brought success to the Milan-based club.

“I did not agree with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, but my time at Juventus did not end because of that,” Marotta said.

“When the club owner takes a step forward, the manager must take a step back,” he added.

Marotta expressed his willingness to retire if Inter Milan wins the Champions League title.

During his time at Juventus and Inter Milan, Marotta accompanied his teams to the Champions League final four times.

Inter Milan has reached the Champions League final twice under Marotta's leadership, in the seasons 2022-2023 and 2024-2025.

However, they lost to Manchester City (0-1) and Paris Saint-Germain (0-5).

Before joining Inter Milan, Juventus also reached the Champions League final twice under Marotta's leadership, in the seasons 2014-2015 and 2016-2017.

Juventus lost to Barcelona (2015) and Real Madrid (2017) in those finals.

"My next goal? It's too easy to say Champions League," Marotta said.

"Of course, I want to win it with Inter. My team has played in four finals and lost every time. If we win the Champions League, I can retire," he added.