Juventus winger Douglas Costa has revealed that he doubted whether Cristiano Ronaldo would be able to integrate within the team well when the star forward joined from Real Madrid in the summer.
Those doubts have been blown away, the Brazilian says, with Ronaldo the second-highest scorer in Serie A this season as Juve, bidding for an eighth straight league title, sit 18 points clear at the top of the table, while they also have the 34-year-old to thank for their successful passage to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Ronaldo scored a stunning hat-trick on Tuesday to help Juventus overturn a 2-0 deficit from the first leg of their last-16 tie against Atletico Madrid.
His performances and work ethic has quickly won over the Juventus dressing room, Costa says.
“Believe it or not but when Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival was being talked about, I asked ‘what will the dressing room be like?'” Costa told YouTube channel De Sola.
“We all have to love each other as team-mates because we’re all looking for a place in the team – but Cristiano won everyone over very quickly.
“He’s a simple, hardworking guy who likes to win. Juventus were looking for a player with his mentality, so he’s given us a lot.
“When he arrived. I thought ‘the best player in the world has joined, right?’. As soon as he arrived, the club improved in every aspect. His contribution has been noticeable.
“He scores goals every week, he’s brought more fans to the stadium and we hope to win things with him so we make history with him by our side.
“He’s a stand-up guy, he’s hard-working and he’s always with us.”
