Fabio Paratici Expects Cristiano Ronaldo to See out Juventus Contract

Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici has said he expects Cristiano Ronaldo to see out his contract at the club. 

The Portuguese icon joined the Italian giants in the summer of 2018, making a surprise transfer from Real Madrid. Ronaldo signed a contract until 2022 with the Bianconeri.

Speaking about the club's star player, Paratici said he can't see a scenario where Ronaldo leaves the Turin giants before the end of that deal, per Sacha Pisani of Goal.

"He is very focused on his current objectives. I do not believe in the slightest that he will leave at the end of the season or later," he said. "He is under contract: We are very happy with him, and he is happy at Juventus."

Now 34, Ronaldo turns 35 in February, meaning he will be 37 years old by the time his contract runs down at the Allianz Stadium. While those would typically be the twilight years of a career for the majority of footballers, the Juventus forward continues to excel.

On Monday, he was on the scoresheet for Portugal in a 2-1 loss against Ukraine in UEFA 2020 European Championship qualifying. The penalty was enough to push Ronaldo to a landmark total of 700 goals in his career:

Squawka Football broke down how the goals have come about so far for the Juventus star:

Per ESPN FC, in the history of the game there are only five other players to have scored 700 or more goals in total:

Ronaldo's decision to leave Madrid in 2018 caught many by surprise, although it'll be intriguing to see how the late chapter of his distinguished career plays out in Italy.

Last season it got off to a solid start. In the 2018-19 Serie A campaign, he was on target 21 times in 31 appearances, helping Juventus coast to the top-flight title. However, the Bianconeri were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by Ajax 3-2 on aggregate, that despite Ronaldo netting in both legs of the tie.

This season, Juventus will be hoping Ronaldo can continue to fire, as they look set to face stiff competition in the race for the Italian title from Antonio Conte's Inter. So far, Ronaldo has three goals from six Serie A appearances.

Bleacher Report's Gianni Verschueren noted the Portuguese has had his role tweaked this term under manager Maurizio Sarri, meaning he may not be as prolific:

Ronaldo produced an excellent all-round display against Inter in Juventus' last outing, helping the team to a 2-1 win. While he's razor-sharp in front of goal, the performance was a reminder that the 34-year-old has other facets to his game other than finishing.

Even so, Juventus will be looking to Ronaldo to be a decisive presence in Europe later in the campaign, as well as the next two seasons for which his contract runs in Turin.