Ronaldo 'isolated in dressing room as teammates believe he has too much freedom'

Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly been isolated in the Juventus dressing-room with team-mates believing the Portuguese star has too much freedom.

Ronaldo scored his 100th goal for the Old Lady in a 3-1 win at Sassuolo on Wednesday which keeps Andrea Pirlo's side in the hunt for a top-four spot, though they still need Napoli to drop points in one of their final two games.

Yet on Monday, following the humiliating 3-0 defeat at home to AC Milan on Sunday, while his team-mates were hauled in to training Ronaldo was allowed a day off to collect his new £1.4million Ferrari Monza from the manufacturer's base in Maranello, which has caused unhappiness within the playing camp, according to Spanish outlet AS.

The report details that the 36-year-old was with Juve president Andrea Agnelli and Exor Chairman and CEO John Elkann.

As such, some of Ronaldo's team-mates are said to be displeased with the favourable treatment the five-time Ballon d'Or winner continues to receive.

The team do not recognise Ronaldo as a leader with his attitude on the pitch, the report states, with his gesticulations every time the ball does not reach him seen as unhelpful.

Ronaldo's future at the club is currently up in the air with Juve far from guaranteed Champions League football next season.

The Portugal captain - who is the leading goalscorer in the history of the Champions League - is said to be completely uninterested in playing Europa League football.

Back in November, Juve boss Andrea Pirlo dismissed the accusation that Ronaldo receives 'special treatment' in contrast to the rest of the squad.

'I treat him like I treat all the other players,' Pirlo said. 'I'm always available on and off the pitch. It's easy to have a good relationship between humble people. I'm like that.

'I behave with him – a champion – like I do with [Gianluca] Frabotta or [Manolo] Portanova, who are two young players.

'I do the same things I was used to doing when I was a player.'

Ronaldo has been linked with moves back to either of his old clubs - Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United and Real Madrid - as well as a big-money switch to PSG.

Ronaldo's mother Dolores told Portuguese station TVI 24 that she is pushing for her son to return to Sporting, after they won the Portuguese title this week: "I will talk to him and convince him to come back - next year he will play at the Alvalade stadium!'

Despite a difficult season for Juventus, it has again been a fruitful individual campaign for Ronaldo, who leads the Serie A goalscoring charts on 28 goals - he has 35 in all competitions.

His £27m-a-year contract in Turin expires next summer and his next move - whether it be a contract extension or a new challenge - will be fascinating to see as he reaches the twilight of his career.

Juventus need to save millions and without the Champions League they will be forced to cut at least one top player from the team.

The Bianconeri were recently ranked by Forbes magazine as the 11th most valuable football team in the world, with an estimated value of $1.95billion (£1.38bn), and a revenue of $441m (£313m) in 2020.

But cause for concern arrives in the knowledge that Juventus appear to be operating at a loss of $14million (£9.9m) in the last financial year, while club debts have reached 16 per cent.

They, along with Barcelona and Real Madrid, remain set on the breakaway Super League.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on finances has been devastating but missing the top four - and therefore missing the Champions League - would see Juventus miss out on £78m.

Meanwhile Juve boss Pirlo, in his first season in charge, is also under mounting pressure and his job is under threat, particularly if Juve fail to finish in the top-four.

Ronaldo does still have silverware to aim for this campaign, with Juve facing Atalanta in the final of the Coppa Italia next week.

He was also man-of-the-match and scored back in January in the Supercoppa Italiana - Italy's equivalent of the Community Shield - against Napoli in Reggio Emilia.