Argentine midfielder Carlos Alcaraz gave his first press-conference as a Juventus player and cited Cristiano Ronaldo as his inspiration. The 21-year-old arrived in Turin during the January transfer window and has already made his club debut in the 1-0 defeat to Inter. Speaking to the gathered press, he revealed his first impressions of the club and coach Max Allegri:
“I’ve been here for a week, it’s true. I’m very happy, I feel good. I’m already with the group, training. They received me very well. Even the coaching staff, they welcomed me very well.”
“Yes, it’s true, I play well in midfield. But also as a false 9. Now I’m playing on the inside, on the right flank, I feel good. I used to play both on the right and on the left, I really like this position. I’m willing to play in this position, wherever it’s necessary.”
“I’m very happy about the comparisons with great champions. It’s truly a beautiful thing, what I know is that I have to do well and I want my name to be engraved at Juve. Of course, Ronaldo is my main inspiration. Today I want to show my family that dreams can come true. That’s my inspiration every day, I want to prove every day that what I’m achieving is thanks to them.”
“Yes, it’s true: I always chose Juve, many great players and great names have passed through here. By choosing Juve, I could choose the best. I could boast about this compared to my friends. If they didn’t let me, I’d get angry or wouldn’t play at all.”
“Arturo Vidal? I’m happy with these comparisons, I know Vidal was a great player, achieved excellent results, I’m happy to be associated with him. I have to do things well, for the player I am, I’ll do the best I can to achieve the best results. That’s my purpose. I repeat: grateful for the comparison, but now I focus on myself.”
“I’ve always liked Juve, a big club. For the best players who have passed through here, including Argentines, it has always attracted me. Now that I’m here, the expectations are very high and I’m willing to meet them, it’s one of my goals, it’s one of the most beautiful things that ever happened. I realized that playing here requires very high expectations.”
“At Racing, it was an important debut, a great Argentine club and I’m glad to have passed through there. Both at Racing and in England, I was able to play with great people, I learned a lot and I grew physically. I arrived at a great team prepared, I also worked well at Southampton. Since Racing, I’ve worked a lot. I feel ready, let’s say. As I said, I know the expectations are high and I’m happy to try to meet them.”
“Debut? Not a good debut in terms of the result, but it allowed me to enter with a high-level game. I like these games where there is pressure, I’m a guy who is not afraid to play despite my age. I didn’t like it, the result is different, we are focused on working for the next game.”
“Youngster? Yes, in fact, I realized that the team is made up of very young players, there are the veterans, everyone supports the young ones. And we work a little more from behind. Working with so many young players is beautiful, we have a good team, but we need the big names. I saw that the coaching staff pays a lot of attention to the youth sector.”
“Allegri? My character since I can remember is that I don’t like to lose, not even in training. I’m competitive, I always want to win, I want results, triumphs. That’s my attitude. The coach asks me to play, stay calm, do what I know because that’s what brought me here. I feel the confidence and I will try to show him that it is well placed.”
“the price tag? It doesn’t scare me. The issue of price will be seen over time. I intend to do well, play well, then the price may be right or not. It depends on what happens on the field. I’m calm, I have to work well, I’m quite calm from that point of view.”
“I arrived in a group where there are many valid players, at the top. What surprised me the most is perhaps Locatelli, he seems like an excellent player, I really like working in training with him and I think I can learn a lot.”
“Danilo? I knew that coming here to Juve, I wouldn’t have had Argentine teammates. But I knew about Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro. Maybe they would know Spanish. Danilo asked me how I felt, I told him I was nervous. He comforted me, he told me to be calm, the team is like a family and it’s what I’ve experienced firsthand. They are involving me, talking to me, everything is fine.”
“Lautaro? I didn’t have the opportunity to talk to him, we only talked on the evening of the match with Inter and that’s it.”
