Leonardo Bonucci says he doesn’t deserve to be called a traitor for joining Milan – “I always gave my all for Juventus”.
The centre-back made a shock €40m move to the Rossoneri earlier this summer, having won six Scudetti in a row as part of the famous ‘BBC’ backline alongside Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini.
“Meeting up with my friends on the pitch and in life always makes me happy,” Bonucci said in a Press conference at Coverciano today, ahead of Italy’s games with Spain and Israel.
Leonardo Bonucci says he doesn’t deserve to be called a traitor for joining Milan – “I always gave my all for Juventus”.
The centre-back made a shock €40m move to the Rossoneri earlier this summer, having won six Scudetti in a row as part of the famous ‘BBC’ backline alongside Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini.
“Meeting up with my friends on the pitch and in life always makes me happy,” Bonucci said in a Press conference at Coverciano today, ahead of Italy’s games with Spain and Israel.
“For me Giorgio, Andrea and Gigi [Buffon] remain friends and teammates because our professional paths may have diverged but the relationship created in the dressing room remains the same.
“I learned so much from them and they helped me to grow. Now we’re on this adventure with the national team together and we only have to think about Spain and Israel.
“I’m used to being the centre of controversy and positivity, and if I’m being talked about it’s because I’ve reached an important point as a footballer and as a man.
“I decided to leave Juventus because of choices the club made, it took balls to make the choice I did.
“I was called scum, a traitor and a mercenary; three heavy adjectives for someone who always gave my all for Juve.
“I didn’t leave for money, I earned almost the same last year with Juventus. With Juve we went along together until the end.
“The Juventus defence? I played with great champions and without them I couldn’t have done much.
“Lorenzo [Bonucci, his son] is definitely happier now though, because now he can cheer freely for Torino and [Andrea] Belotti!”
Bonucci was then asked about facing Spain, following the 1-1 draw at Juventus Stadium earlier in the campaign.
“We want to win but it won’t be easy. We’ll have to suffer against Spain though because they have great champions so we’ll need the best Italy.
“The motivation this game brings will allow us to overcome the precarious physical condition [caused by an early-season game].
“Sergio Ramos? He’s the best defender in the world. He got the award for the best defender in last season’s Champions League and that proves he’s the best.”