Former Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci revealed he was close to joining Real Madrid, but wanted to end his career at Juve. The Bianconeri centre-back left Turin this summer when the club informed him that he was no longer part of their plans. Speaking with Spanish paper Marca, the veteran defender revealed that he was close joining La Real at one point, but finishing his career with the Old Lady was always his priority:
“Juve? Everyone knew what my desire was, but I live this moment with serenity and maturity. Today I am more serene, less angry about what happened. We need to move forward.
“My past at Juve was wonderful I wanted to end my career there , but it can’t go like this. Every week I talk to many of my former colleagues. This makes it clear that I was an important person in the locker room: friendship with the veterans and reference for the young people.
“Would I come back? It’s one of my goals . I want to be a coach and if I could become one of the elite, Juve is one of the clubs I would like to coach. Juventus is a crucial part of my life . I am grateful to Andrea Agnelli, Marotta, Paratici and Nedved And to the coach who changed me the most and helped me grow: Antonio Conte.”
“Real Madrid? There are no words to describe it. Perhaps the greatest club in the world. There was a moment when I was very close to becoming a Real Madrid player . It was a dream. I have a great admiration and then they have a great maestro on the bench like Ancelotti.
“It was the summer of 2017, after they beat us in the final in Cardiff. The negotiations between my agent and Real Madrid intensified a lot, but it wasn’t closed. It was nice, even if I didn’t get there . Eliminating them from the Champions League in 2015 was one of my best moments with the Juve shirt. We were almost kids and it was a great achievement. It’s a shame that then the best Barça in history reached the final “.
“My sons illness? These are experiences that make you understand the priorities of life . No matter how different we sometimes think we are, none of this matters. We are all the same. Evil doesn’t look at anyone in the face . We were lucky. We were at the right time and in the right place. Thanks to the intervention of the doctors at the Regina Margherita hospital, Matteo today is a very healthy child, capable of doing everything a child of his age can do. This gives you another way of looking at everything. It gives you strength, you look at family differently.”
