Leonardo Bonucci admits leaving Juventus was a mistake

Italy international Leonardo Bonucci has acknowledged that he made the mistake to leave Juventus for AC Milan during the 2017 summer transfer window. The central defender had been involved in a rift with manager Max Allegri which urged him to make the move to the Rossoneri and he thereafter captained the team through the previous campaign.

However, when the opportunity rose to return to Turin this summer, he took the chance with both hands and he has now admitted that he made the mistake to leave the Bianconeri in the first place, he told Corriere dello Sport: “Things happened during my last four months at Juventus… things which really hurt me on a personal level and dented my pride. I wasn’t clever enough to let things go, I should have let it slip by.

“With the passage of time and looking back on it from the outside, I understood that leaving Juventus hadn’t been the right choice, it was a mistake. It was a difficult decision taken in a moment of rage. I was wrong. It is here, with this jersey, that I feel I can truly express my potential, both on and off the field so I’m thankful and lucky to be back.”

Since returning to Juventus, Bonucci has managed to revive his partnership with skipper Giorgio Chiellini which has excelled over the years and this has helped the club to make a winning start to the campaign across all competitions. The Serie A holders have started their league season with eight victories from their opening eight matches and the run sees them already with a six-point advantage over second-placed Napoli at the top of the standings.

Meanwhile, they have made an equally impressive start in the Champions League where they have already bagged successive victories and they are presently in pole position to cement the top spot in their group with a double-header against Manchester United coming up following the international break.