In a recent interview with Prime, Leonardo Bonucci opened up about his experiences at Juventus, touching on his relationships with teammates, memorable goals, and the dynamics within the team during crucial moments. Reflecting on their Champions League journey, Bonucci noted, “Against Barcelona, we were very close; the match started well for us, but we lost the final on a counterattack. Think about how confident we were in our ability to win.” He also addressed rumors regarding the locker room atmosphere during their time with Real Madrid, stating, “In the locker room, nothing was true; there was no chaos. I went to Paulo and told him: ‘You need to be Dybala for us; you are important. Forget what happened and keep playing.’ I have a great relationship with Paulo.”
Bonucci also shared his thoughts on Wojciech Szczęsny’s reaction to team discussions. “Yes, I was disappointed,” he admitted. “I would put on my headphones during Bonucci’s talks. I spoke for the good of the team, but when I was talking, he wasn’t there; he was locked in the bathroom. I won’t say what he was doing in there, but he mentioned it too.” He added that despite some tensions, he had a solid rapport with Matthijs de Ligt during their time together.
Reflecting on his iconic goal celebrations, Bonucci recounted how his famous gesture originated: “It started at home during a dinner with my friends in Viterbo just before I joined Juventus. I’ve always been a Juventus fan, so arriving at Juventus was my biggest dream. I said: ‘If I score five goals this year, you guys have to shave your heads like mine.’ One of my friends stood up and replied: ‘Let’s do this: every time you score, you have to rinse your mouth so we know it’s for us.’ Then it turned into a controversy that never existed; there was never anything controversial about that celebration.”
When asked about his favorite goal, Bonucci pointed to a memorable moment against Roma in 2014: “The 3-2 goal against Roma is the one I enjoyed the most. It was a volley that went into the corner in the 87th minute. We were battling it out with Roma; it was the goal that made it 3-2. In that celebration, I felt nothing; I went under the stand to celebrate, and I had the whole team on top of me, but I didn’t feel anything. When play resumed, I was still gasping for air. The kids started greeting me by doing my celebration.”
Regarding his controversial celebration during a match against Milan while playing for Juventus, Bonucci stated, “I would do it again. At that moment, I was playing for Milan and had given everything for every team I’ve played for. A figure within Juventus treated me poorly. For me not to celebrate would be disrespectful to new fans. When I left Juventus, I thanked the fans, the president, the director, and my former teammates… Did I forget someone? You understand.”
Bonucci also reflected on his time with the legendary defensive trio known as “BBC” (Bonucci-Barzagli-Chiellini). He said, “We met at the perfect moment in our careers. We complemented each other perfectly and realized we were the three strongest at Euro 2016. That’s when we reached the peak of our understanding. We could play every match with confidence knowing we would get the job done behind us.”
Looking back at transfer opportunities during his career, Bonucci revealed that he came close to joining Manchester City in 2016 and 2017. “Marotta told me he wouldn’t sell me even for 100 million euros; the offer from England wasn’t far from that number,” he explained. “Agnelli and Marotta kept their word. The following year Guardiola said he had to sell Mangala and Otamendi before bringing me in, but I couldn’t wait. There was also a chance to go to PSG; those were two occasions where I could have gone abroad.”
