In a revealing interview with Prime Video, Leonardo Bonucci opened up about his tumultuous relationship with former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, sharing candid details about their conflicts and his departure from the club. Bonucci recounted a heated exchange during a match against Palermo, stating, “After 60 minutes, I told Claudio Marchisio to get substituted because he was exhausted. When I signalled to Allegri to make the change, he sent Sturaro off instead and told me to ‘think about being a player.’ He even called me a ‘c*****e,’ and there are recordings of this.”
Reflecting on his decision to leave Juventus for AC Milan, Bonucci explained the circumstances that led to this choice. “In late June, my agent called me with a possibility. After the Cardiff final, something broke between me and Juventus. We agreed it was time to part ways, and Milan offered me the captaincy, saying I would be a symbol of their rebirth.” He expressed no regrets about leaving, asserting, “You make choices based on your circumstances. A year prior, the club insisted they wouldn’t sell me for any price, yet they sold me for 42 million euros.”
Bonucci’s relationship with Allegri was fraught with tension. He noted that while he played significant minutes under Allegri, their connection was strained. “One of Allegri’s assistants once told me that when they arrived at Juventus, their plan was to get rid of me. They prepared for matches focusing on my mistakes,” he revealed.
The defender also recounted a particularly heated moment in the locker room after the Palermo match. “After the game, I stormed into the locker room and confronted Allegri about our disagreement. He got heated again, and we had to be separated.” Despite these conflicts, Bonucci mentioned that he eventually returned to playing after some mediation from club management.
Bonucci’s time at Juventus was marked by both triumphs and conflicts. He expressed disappointment over how things ended, particularly regarding rumours surrounding his behaviour during the Cardiff final. “When they claimed I caused chaos in the Cardiff locker room, I called the director and said, ‘I’m an asset to this club; shouldn’t we deny this since it didn’t happen?’ But he told me we shouldn’t say anything.”
