“Juventus players were not prepared to play with Ronaldo” – Buffon explains major shift in Turin after Cristiano Ronaldo arrival
Former Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has added another chapter to his comments on Cristiano Ronaldo's stint with the Old Lady.
The Italian legend recently faced a lot of backlash from fans after his comments about the Portuguese superstar about two weeks back. He had said that Juventus "lost their DNA" after Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival at the club in 2018.
Many fans believed Buffon was trying to deflect the blame for Juventus' failure in the Champions League to the man who scored 101 goals for them.
Cristiano since joining Juventus:
🎽 134 Games
⚽ 101 Goals
🅰️ 22 Assists
🏆2x Scudetto
🏆2x Supercoppa
🏆1x Coppa Italia
🥇Serie A MVP
🥇Team of the Year
🥇 Serie A top scorer
🥇 Serie A Footballer of the Year
Forza, @Cristiano. 🐐🇵🇹 #Juve https://t.co/3eDHlgW4R2
After facing backlash, Buffon tried to clarify his statements in an interview with Corriere della Serra, replicated by AS in Spain. He said:
“I said that the team lost a bit of DNA because that's what I think. And, on further reflection, this was not Ronaldo's fault. When a club hires a player of Ronaldo's level, they know exactly what can happen.”
He further added:
“You have to understand if the other players are prepared and, in my opinion, the Juventus players were not prepared to play with Ronaldo. Like it or not, everyone has felt their weight in the team and that should never happen, especially at a club like Juventus.”
Buffon also spoke about how Juventus were a changed team after his return from a one-year spell at Paris Saint-Germain. He said:
“When Cristiano arrived at the club, I had gone to Paris Saint Germain. When I returned, the team was different, it was no longer the same as the one I had left a year before."
Juventus' struggles since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus in 2018 after nine years with Real Madrid. He won the Serie A title in his first two seasons with the Old Lady. Last season, though, Juventus finished fourth in the table, breaking their decade-long monopoly on the title.
They also failed to make an impact in the Champions League, which was seen as the primary objective with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese returned to Manchester United in the summer of 2021. Since then, Juventus have struggled badly. They currently sit fifth in the Serie A table, four points off fourth-placed Atalanta.
Cristiano Ronaldo ended the year as:
– Man Utd's top scorer (current season)
– Portugal's top scorer (2021)
– Juventus' top scorer (2021) despite leaving them in August. 🐐 https://t.co/Qb26zz2Hmo
They could miss out on a Champions League spot for next season. In the ongoing Champions League season, they have a tricky Round of 16 fixture against Villarreal.
Many players like Matthijs de Ligt, Alvaro Morata, Dejan Kulusevski and Aaron Ramsey seem to be on their way out of the club as well. Needless to say, it has been tough going for Juventus since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.