Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon believes Cristiano Ronaldo’s entry into Turin was the start of the end for team spirit.
RIVALS AND FRIENDS: Gianluigi Buffon and Cristiano Ronaldo after the latter’s two cannon goals for Real Madrid in Turin in the quarterfinals of the Champions League in April 2018. The following summer they became teammates.
Photo: ALBERTO PIZZOLI / AFP
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– I worked with Ronaldo for two years when I came back and we did well together, but I think Juventus lost the team’s DNA, Buffon says in an interview with American TUDN.
The goalkeeper legend goes in the interview with the Bulgarian attacking icon Hristo Stoichkov far in blaming the current Manchester United player for the team spirit ceased at Juventus.
– We reached the Champions League final in 2017 because we were a team with experience, but first and foremost because we were a united unit with strong competition for places. We lost that unity with Ronaldo, Buffon continues.
The “old lady” came in a disappointing fourth place in Serie A last season, and Ronaldo never managed to take home the Champions League trophy during his three seasons at the club – they never got further than the quarter-finals in Ronaldo’s sailing time.
The Italian goalkeeper legend himself had a short stay in Paris Saint-Germain, when he returned Ronaldo was the team’s big star.
– Juventus had the opportunity to win the Champions League his first year, but I do not understand what happened, says Buffon – who was in Paris at the time.
Ronaldo switched Torino with Manchester just before the end of the transfer window, a situation that also received Italian criticism. Juventus stopper Giorgio Chiellini thought his late departure made them skew from the edge of the box in their attempt to regain the Serie A throne.
– We can all look back on the fact that we did good things, not everything we wanted, but in any case we wrote history together, the Portuguese declared on Instagram after the farewell.
For Ronaldo’s own part, however, the transition back to the Premier League has been a personal success, with seven league goals and six in the Champions League.
PS! Ronaldo and Manchester United meet Newcastle on Monday night.
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