Juventus Shares Temporarily Plunged Following Ronaldo’s Loss

Shares in Italian soccer team Juventus plunged as much as a quarter in value after it was knocked out of Europe’s Champions League competition by Ajax Amsterdam, media reports said.

According to CNBC, Juventus shares were down 17.3 percent at 1.3960 euros, after trading as low as 1.275 euros, which prompted a temporary suspension.

By contrast, Ajax shares jumped 8.5 percent to an all-time high of 18.60 euros, as the four-time former champion reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time 1997, where it will play either Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur.

For making the last four this season Ajax receives an additional $13.5 million in prize-money, with an additional $21.4 million on offer to make the final and win it.

Much of the focus after the loss was on Juve’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo who had won the last three the Champions League tournaments his former club, Real Madrid.

Juventus specifically bought the forward from the Spanish giants last summer for a transfer fee of 100 million Euros, in the hope he could once again win Europe’s top soccer competition.