Sarri: Ronaldo is a multinational brand that is difficult to manage

Maurizio Sarri coached Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus in the 2019/20 campaign as the Bianconeri went on to win the Scudetto, but the Italian coach has revealed how it is sometimes difficult to be in charge of the Portuguese superstar.

The new Lazio boss recognised that when you have a player such as Cristiano, it is natural that they will be above the team at times.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a multinational brand with personal interests that must coincide with the interests of the team," Sarri said during an interview with SportItalia.

"It is a difficult situation to manage from all points of view. I consider myself a better coach than a manager.

"There are also many positive aspects, because Ronaldo brings the numbers at the end of the year. When someone reaches these levels it is clear that he represents something beyond the team, beyond normality.

"In recent years I have heard a lot about individual players and little about teams. And the value of the team never corresponds to the sum of the value of the individual."

When asked about whether Cristiano should stay at Juventus, Sarri intimated that it might be better to move on from him.

"That depends on the club's needs. In my opinion, it's better to give up one player, than to give up five or six," he replied.

After the Turin side's dominance in recent years, Sarri's time at Juventus was seen on the inside very much how it was seen on the outside, with the Scudetto already taken for granted.

"We won a Scudetto without celebrating it, we each went to dinner on our own. The right year to go to Juve would be this one, after a fourth-place finish that instead was celebrated," he commented.

Sarri was also quizzed on rumours that Napoli were after him.

"I didn't take it into consideration because I wasn't sure about whether there was any point," he noted.

"I answered the same thing to all the clubs that were asking for me: that I was available if they wanted to talk about it again in July."

After previously managing Jorginho at Napoli and Chelsea, he was questioned about whether the Italy midfielder is in running for this year's Ballon d'Or award.

"If he wins Euro 2020, then of course he will be eligible for the Ballon d'Or," Sarri stated.

"He is a very refined player and many probably don't understand him well enough. You have to fixate on him and focus only on what he does in the match. He makes everything seem easy."

With Jose Mourinho's arrival at Roma, Sarri is looking forward to the derby between the Giallorossi and the Biancocelesti, even if he recognises that it will not directly be Mourinho vs Sarri.

"In the end, it will be Roma vs Lazio. I won't be able to score a goal, nor will Mourinho be able to save one. The teams are all that matter," he replied.