As we all know, Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't present during the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris. Instead, he had decided to attend the Gran Gala del Calcio awards, which took place in Milan. However, his presence was far from easy to manage.

In fact, it was in doubt until the very end due to reasons of public order. As mentioned, he had confirmed his participation well in time, but the maximum reserve was kept to avoid the increasing numbers of fans waiting for a photo or even just a simple greeting.

Inside the venue, as well as outside of it, that was the main issue. Therefore, as reported by Gazzetta Dello Sport this morning (via IlBianconero.com), he arrived late to the event and not because he wanted to just grab his award and then leave.

"The presence of Cristiano for the entire event, which began at 8 pm and ended just before midnight, would have made the situation unmanageable. The room was too large and there were too many guests outside (around 700 ). At least fifty stewards would have been needed, half of them around the Portuguese's table," the newspaper wrote. 

On Saturday evening, Juventus will take on Lazio away from home, looking to re-gain the first place in the standings from Inter.

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