Ronaldo's request to be benched for Juventus vs Udinese match puts future in doubt

The sight of Cristiano Ronaldo starting the match from the bench is something that football fans would never dream about, however, that is exactly what happened when Juventus took on Udinese in their first match of the new Serie A season. The news though is that the player himself had made the request of benching him during the Juventus vs Udinese match as he hopes to resolve his issue regarding his future with the club. The news regarding the same was confirmed by Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

Serie A: Cristiano Ronaldo benched for Juventus vs Udinese match

While Ronaldo's transfer rumours has been gaining momentum, Juventus coach Max Allegri ahead of the Juventus opening Serie A match stated that Ronaldo will be staying at the club. Juventus vice president Pavel Nedved also spoke about Ronaldo being left out of the starting XI. Speaking to DAZN, he said,  “We’ve decided together with Ronaldo. It’s normal. Ronaldo will 100 per cent stay." The club are still convinced that Cristiano will stay - as they have received no official bids for him.

Just a couple of days back the 36-year-old finally 'broke his silence' by releasing a lengthy statement on social media regarding his future. He had said, "Anyone who knows me is aware of how focused I am on my work. Less talk and more action, this has been my guiding motto since the start of my career. However, in view of everything that's been said and written recently, I have to set out my position. More than the disrespect for me as a man and as a player, the frivolous way that my future is covered in the media is disrespectful to all the clubs involved in these rumours, as well as to their players and staff."

Recap of Juventus vs Udinese match

Max Allegri's Juventus started their new season with a draw against Udinese after blowing away a two-goal cushion. Paulo Dybala opened the scoring in the second minute followed by Juan Cuadrado's 23rd-minute goal, but Udinese rallied back with two second-half goals of its own. Then, in the 94th minute, Ronaldo appeared to score a dramatic match-winner with a powerful header, but VAR ruled him just offside and annulled the goal. However, the 36-year-old kept the yellow card that was issued to him for removing his shirt in celebration.