According to Leonardo Bonucci, the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo has had a major influence on the Juventus players. The Italian center defender tells in an interview with The Athletic that his teammates thought that games could be won just with the presence of Ronaldo. “But Ronaldo needed the team just as much as we needed him,” Bonucci said.
“The idea was that one player would secure victory for Juventus. Ronaldo’s presence had a big impact on us,” Bonucci said. “On the training sessions alone, he gave us something special. But subconsciously players began to think that just his presence was enough to win matches. As a result, at a certain point we lacked daily work, humility and willingness. I think you’ve seen this in the last few years.”
“Last season we finished fourth and won the Coppa Italia because we re-teamed towards the end of the season,” the 34-year-old defender continued. “If you had thrown a piece of wood into the dressing room before that decisive game, there would have been a fire because there was such a charged atmosphere. We had missed that for a while. Maybe we assumed that if we gave the ball to Ronaldo, he would win the games for us.”
“There should have been a trade-off, because the team lifts an individual to great heights and not the other way around. Even if it’s about the best player on the planet,” says Bonucci. Ronaldo has since left Juventus for Manchester United and it would have been close if Bonucci had also played in England. He had three chances to make the move to Manchester City. “I always had a dream to play under Pep Guardiola.”
“I came closest in 2016, I was about to go to Manchester City. It was all about the last details, but Juventus decided not to sell me,” said Bonucci. He left for AC Milan in 2017, only to return to Juventus a year later. “I could have gone to Manchester City then, but then certain pieces of the puzzle would have had to fall into place. I had already given my word to AC Milan. I spoke to Pep again last year, he wanted me. I told him that Juventus is my home and that I am happy here.”