Juventus

In terms of late-career Cristiano Ronaldo, you get the feeling that this is the exact script that the Portuguese legend would write if you handed him the pen. 

It’s the tale of an unsung legend, a man so repressed by the slings and arrows of detractors, naysayers and charlatans — however real or largely imagined — that he’s been humbly driven to a spot on the bench in the opening game of the season.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a host of clubs this summer but he seems set to stay put at Juventus, tasked with an even more important role in revitalizing the Italian giants.

Be it a return to boyhood club Sporting Lisbon, a move Ronaldo's own mother suggested was a possibility, or another shot at the English Premier League with Manchester United, the 36-year-old has been subject to much transfer talk.

After all the tearful farewells to Lionel Messi in the morning, Barcelona still had a match to play on Sunday evening. And in the 10th minute, the limited fans in attendance gave a preview of how they’ll honor the club legend throughout the upcoming campaign.

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus released a joint statement welcoming a Madrid court's decision on Friday asking European soccer governing body UEFA to revoke action against them for planning the creation of the breakaway Super League.