“His way of playing led him to act more as an individual” - Bonucci on Cristiano Ronaldo failing to win Champions League at Juventus
Former player Leonardo Bonucci has opened up about Cristiano Ronaldo's time at Juventus. He believes the Portuguese superstar did not function cohesively with the team during Maurizio Sarri's tenure.
Ronaldo arrived at the Allianz Stadium in 2018, having enjoyed an extremely successful nine-year period at Real Madrid. His last three years with Los Blancos saw the Portugal captain go on an iconic Champions League three-peat run, winning it consecutively between 2015 and 2018.
Juventus secured his services for a reported €100 million, presumably to give them a massive boost in the Champions League, given his European pedigree. However, in his three years in Turin, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner failed to lift the trophy with Juventus.
Sarri was appointed as head coach in 2019 and stayed on for a season. Juventus, however, couldn't make it past the last-16 in the 2019-20 campaign.
Speaking about Ronaldo's time in Turin on Sky Calcio Club, Juventus legend Leonardo Bonucci said (via Tribal Football):
“Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Juve was aimed at improving an already strong team. The goal was to win the Champions League, but it wasn’t achieved. In the year CR7 arrived, strange dynamics ensued. Allegri was at the end of his cycle, then Covid, Sarri who was trying to get into the dynamics of managing the champions who were at his disposal…"
“CR7 has always been an element of energy in the locker room, but during Sarri’s stint, his way of playing led him to act more as an individual than a team player. He wanted to play freely, but Maurizio had set some limits," he added.
Ronaldo made 134 appearances for Juventus, scoring 101 goals and providing 22 assists.
Bonucci names striker who was a 'nightmare' to play against ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Bonucci has claimed that former Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata was one of the toughest strikers he'd ever faced. The Italian said Zapata would give him sleepless nights before games against Atalanta.
Speaking on Sky Calcio Club, Bonucci was discussing the most difficult strikers he'd played against. The former defender opened up about former Liverpool and Barcelona star Luis Suarez, who he felt was an interesting challenge.
However, he revealed that his most frightening opponent was Zapata. Bonucci said (via Football Italia):
“The one that hit me the most and the one I had more fun with was Luis Suarez because he hit and got hit without any problem. My nightmare, who didn’t make me sleep at night, was Zapata. God, before games against his Atalanta side, I couldn’t sleep at night. His power and physicality made him my nightmare."
Recalling other great strikers such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Didier Drogba, Bonucci added:
“Then, I was lucky enough to play against so many champions. Drogba, Ronaldo, Messi, Torres, and I forget others, but it was too good.”