"Even more important than Ronaldo" - Juventus legend heaps praise on Matthijs de Ligt
Former Juventus defender and club legend Sergio Brio has jumped to the defense of centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, branding him the "best defender in Serie A".
Dutch and AC Milan legend Marco van Basten criticized De Ligt for his performances at Euro 2020. He even said that the 21-year-old hasn't "learnt much" since his move to Juventus from Ajax in 2019.
The Netherlands were knocked out of Euro 2020 in the Round of 16 stage after losing 2-0 to Czech Republic. Van Basten had said after the game:
"De Ligt went to Italy to learn how to defend, but I don't think he has learnt much there."
Brio, however, believes that De Ligt is the best defender in Serie A and has "grown a lot" in two seasons. The Juventus legend even went as far as to claim that De Ligt is more important to the club than Cristiano Ronaldo. Brio said while in conversation with Tuttosport (via ilBianconero):
“De Ligt is the best defender in Serie A, and I honestly can’t share the opinion of the great Van Basten. In Italy he has grown a lot and is still developing. There isn’t a more formative league for defenders than ours. What excites me about De Ligt, moreover, is his age. He is not yet 22, and he is very strong. he can become a real phenomenon, because experience is the factor that improves a defender the most."
Brio added:
“De Ligt will acquire more malice and concentration, becoming stronger and stronger. I have always considered him the real great signing of Juventus in the recent years. Even more important than Ronaldo. I’m sure of what I’m saying, mainly because I understand young defenders. I predicted a great career for Simon Kjaer when he was still at Palermo.”
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Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri will be an important coach for De Ligt: Fabio Capello
Former England manager Fabio Capello also defended De Ligt amidst recent criticism.
Capello believes the Dutch defender will benefit from playing under Massimilano Allegri, who returned to Juventus as manager ahead of the new season. Capello told Tuttosport via Tuttomercatoweb:
“The Dutch defender cannot be argued, he has enormous potential and is still very young. He transmits something, some more and some less. Allegri will be a very important coach for him."
De Ligt has thus far made 75 appearances in all competitions for Juventus. Aside from providing stability to the side's defense, the Dutchman has chipped in with five goals and two assists.