Bonucci comments about de Ligt’s departure
Juventus legend Leonardo Bonucci wasn’t afraid to point out the perceived lack of respect shown by Matthijs de Ligt before his move to Bayern Munich.
The centre-back wished his former teammate the best in his endeavours in German football, but reserved his rights as one of the long-serving emblems of Juventus to disregard de Ligt’s comments on his future before his move materialised.
As Juventus were slipping into fourth place in the Serie A for the second year running, de Ligt called for improvement and shed light on his immediate future, stating “Negotiations are ongoing at the moment and when the time comes, I will decide whether to extend or look elsewhere. I always look at what is best for me in terms of the sporting project.”
Keeping this in mind, Bonucci was asked if the Dutch defender’s move to Bayern Munich surprised him. The 35-year-old, didn’t pull any punches, replying “No, because some of his statements made it clear that he didn’t want to stay at Juventus. But I think that the basis of everything is respect, the group he was with for three years helped him to grow and the company invested in him.”
He further added “I wish him the best, but certain phrases said in the national team were not very nice. We talked about it after the holidays, and he got it. Bayern are a great club but it is not certain that in a top team you are destined to win.”
De Ligt signed for the Bavarians for a reported fee of £68million. AFC Ajax’s youngest-ever captain penned a five-year contract that ties him with the German powerhouse until 2027.
De Ligt is arguably one of Europe’s hottest centre-half properties. Still only 22, the defender is blessed with all-round abilities, and it’s only a matter of time before he kicks on in a Bayern shirt.
Bayern Munich will begin their Bundesliga season away at Eintracht Frankfurt on August 5th, with de Ligt in line for a debut.
-Akarshak Roy
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Clément Bucco-Lechat. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.