Massimiliano Allegri turned down Real Madrid to join Juventus
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has revealed that he turned down an offer to manage Real Madrid this summer. The Italian took over from Andrea Pirlo at the Turin based club after a two-year hiatus from football.
Speaking at his presentation as Juventus' new boss, Allegri was grateful to Real Madrid for the offer, but his heart was set on a return to Turin. He said:
"I must thank Real Madrid president for the opportunity he gave me. I picked Juventus because of my love for this club and because I believe in this young team. It’s going to be amazing to coach these players, but we must win as well. It’s the most important thing."
"I feel thrilled. I’ve had all young players so far, good players who did well on Saturday in the first friendly match of the summer. The first-team players are coming back, they will all be available from Tuesday. Now it’s not time to talk about the past, we need to focus on the future."
He continued:
“I thank the other clubs who had made an offer to me, but I woke up in the morning and called Andrea [Agnelli], asking him for a meeting. I am grateful he allowed me to return to coaching and win, which is what matters the most. I watched many games during my time off, especially at the end of the second year."
Real Madrid parted ways with their manager Zinedine Zidane earlier this summer. Los Blancos were linked with a host of managers, including Allegri, before deciding to reunite with former boss Carlo Ancelotti.
The Real Madrid boss is in a similar situation to Allegri, in that they both have to make their respective clubs bounce back from disappointing 2020-21 campaigns.
Allegri first took over Juventus in 2014 and had a trophy-laden five-year spell at the club, winning the Scudetto every season and reaching the finals of the Champions League twice. The Italian was replaced by Maurizio Sarri who was also sacked after a season. Andrea Pirlo was put in the hot seat in 2020 but the former midfielder was sacked after not being able to retain the Serie A title in the 2020-21 season.
Allegri is now gearing up for his second spell in charge of the Bianconeri and will look to take the club back to their dominant best.
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Allegri does not regret choosing Juventus over Real Madrid
Allegri revealed that he has no regrets turning down Real Madrid to take over as manager of Juventus once again and is excited to start working with his squad. He told the media:
"I begin a new chapter at Juventus, this team is made of many young players who need to develop. There are also experienced players, such as Ronaldo, Chiellini and Bonucci. These three must be an added value for the club and the team, bringing experience and technique on the pitch, but they must also be role models for the young players."
Speaking on his past achievements with Juventus, Allegri said:
What we did will remain in history. Two years ago we decided to part ways, now we start from scratch to achieve our goals."