Cristiano Ronaldo effect: Chinese fans drop Real Madrid for Juventus
'Icon market' football fans follow big-name players rather than teams
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Real Madrid has seen Juventus’s popularity rocket in China, up nearly 70% by one measure, as top European clubs vie for supremacy in the Asian country. The Portuguese forward has made his presence felt on the pitch, netting 17 goals in 22 Serie A games to put Juventus well on course to retain their Italian league title. Ronaldo, who cost Juventus about €110m in the last off-season, was at it again at the weekend, scoring twice before the Turin side were held 3-3 at home by Parma. Off the pitch, the Portuguese — who turned 34 on Tuesday — has made a similarly emphatic impact in China, the world’s second-biggest economy and home to a growing number of football supporters. In the week of Ronaldo’s transfer in July 2018, Juventus added 308,000 followers across the Twitter-like Weibo, social media and messaging app WeChat, and video app Douyin (known elsewhere as TikTok), the Italian club said. That popularity has held, Juventus say, its number of followers ...
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