“I couldn’t sleep at night” - Leonardo Bonucci names surprise player as his ’nightmare’ ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Former Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci recently opened up on the toughest striker he faced in his career and it wasn't Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. The 37-year-old revealed that Colombian forward Duvan Zapata was the one striker who gave him nightmares.
Bonnuci is regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation. The Italian, who annouced his retirement back in May, played at the highest level for club and country and came up against some of the best strikers in the game.
During a recent interview with Sky Calcio Club, Bonucci was asked about the toughest stiker he ever faced. He mentioned former Liverpool and Barcelona forward Luis Suarez as the striker he enjoyed playing against the most.
"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," he said.
Bonucci revealed that he dreaded playing against former Atalanta striker Zapata due to his power and physicality.
"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," he added.
Zapata, who currently plies his trade for Torino, has had an extensive career playing in Serie A. The Colombia international has represented Napoli, Udinese, Sampdoria, and Atalanta, thus facing Bonucci on a number of occasions.
However, the peak of his career was with Atalanta where he made a name for himself as one of the top strikers in Serie A. He scored 82 goals and provided 43 assists during his five seasons at the club.
Meanwhile, Bonuci's battles against Messi and Ronaldo came when their respective clubs met mostly in the UEFA Champions League. The former defender, however, shared the same dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus from 2018 until 2021.
Leonardo Bonucci reveals why Cristiano Ronaldo failed to win Champions League for Juventus
In the same interview, Bounucci talked about playing alongside Ronaldo at Juventus and why the club failed to win the UEFA Champions League with the Al-Nassr ace in their ranks.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner joined the Old Lady in 2018 from Real Madrid and achieved notable domestic success, but couldn't replicate his Champions League heroics at Madrid with the Turin club.
According to Bonucci, Ronaldo was signed to help Juventus win the Champions League but failed to lead the club to European glory due to some unforeseen circumstances.
"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," the former defender revealed.
"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," he added.
Although he failed to win the holy grail at Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo lifted two Serie A titles, the Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana. In 134 appearances for the club, he scored 101 goals and provided 22 assists.