It’s happened again—and worse than ever before. Three years ago, Juventus paid €100 million for a 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, apparently on the logic that his guaranteed goals would propel the club the extra step to Champions League glory. Since then, Juventus has been eliminated in the quarterfinals and twice in the last 16, the latest instance Tuesday's extra-time ouster at the hands of a Porto side playing with 10 men for over an hour.
The gamble has failed, and Ronaldo played a critical part in the away goals defeat that accompanied a 4-4 aggregate draw. The second leg was a quite remarkable game, a reminder of why, despite all the greed, all the unseemly maneuvering about a restructure of the tournament—led coincidentally enough by Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli—the Champions League remains such a special competition.