Giorgio Chiellini Lauds Juventus for Sealing 'Impossible' Cristiano Ronaldo Deal

Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has spoken to the impact record signing Cristiano Ronaldo is set to have at the club and said he thought the transfer was impossible after first hearing rumours regarding the move.

Ronaldo's €100 million move from Real Madrid to Turin escalated quickly after his 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign with Portugal finished. Chiellini told ESPN (h/t MailOnline's Harry Slavin) how impressed he was with the Bianconeri's vision in sealing a transfer he thought would never come off:

"(When I first heard Ronaldo rumours), I said to my friends, 'Nah, it's impossible'. After one day, maybe it is possible.

"With our manager, with our director, it's a reality. Juventus is growing, year after year, and we need a champion like Cristiano.

"We are excited, we are ready to work with him; all the parts of the club, the players, the marketing manager, the director, are ready to improve with Cristiano and we hope he can help us to achieve our target."

What might have once seemed impossible is officially a reality, however, after Ronaldo got his pre-season underway on Monday and joined up with the rest of his Juve squad for the first time:

The transfer has been discussed at length as a major coup for not only the Bianconeri but Italian football as a whole. Ronaldo's move is the most expensive deal in Serie A history, as well as the most expensive transfer over the age of 30.

Chiellini, 33, is a 13-year servant of Juventus and has played a prominent role in each of their last seven consecutive Scudetto triumphs. Not to mention Juve have won the Coppa Italia the last four years in a row and finished as UEFA Champions League runners-up twice in the last four seasons.

During that time, the central defender has seen numerous star talents pass through Juve's halls, but there's been a unique positivity surrounding the club since the signing of Ronaldo to a three-year deal earlier in July.

Bianconeri midfielder Sami Khedira also spoke to ESPN and agreed the introduction of five-time Champions League-winner Ronaldo could be their key to unlocking the tournament 22 years after last clinching the European crown:

Even at 33 years of age, Ronaldo appears likely to transform Juve's prospects, having netted at least 42 goals in the last eight of his nine seasons with Madrid—he scored 33 times in 35 appearances in 2009-10, his first season in Spain.

However, AFP's Tom Allnutt questioned whether the veteran, who netted 44 times in all competitions last term, still has the game-changing efficacy he once boasted:

But Ronaldo's final season in Madrid was more prolific than the previous campaign, signalling that even in what looks likely to be his twilight years, he's not content with his powers diminishing as they tend to in football.

Chiellini need not pinch himself when he sees Ronaldo lined up on the same side of the pitch as him come the opening day of the Serie A campaign at Chievo, when Juventus will start to see the results of their revolutionary purchase.