Juan Cabal had a photograph on social media of himself as a child in a counterfeit Juventus jersey, but now gets to wear it for real after an €11m transfer. ‘I was always a Juve fan.’
This perhaps explains why the Colombia international was so eager to switch over and join the Bianconeri yesterday, despite having already agreed personal terms and a move to Inter.
When Cristiano Giuntoli approached, the 23-year-old had no doubts and passed his medical this morning, completing the transfer from Hellas Verona for €11m plus up to €3.8m in bonuses.
Cabal childhood dream come true
“I am very happy, as this is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I am so overjoyed to wear this jersey,” Cabal told the official club website.
Following the swoop, an image went viral from Cabal’s social media accounts showing him as a kid in a knock-off Juve shirt.
“As a kid, I wore this jersey that was not an original one, and now I get to wear the legendary Juventus shirt and I am so happy. I was always a Juve fan.”
He was signed as something of an alternative to the first choice, Bologna and Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori, because he too can play as both a left-back and a central defender.
“I am someone who can play both positions, I’m very quick and well-behaved, both on and off the field. My idols are Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos.”
The presence of coach Thiago Motta also helped to convince Cabal that this was the right move for his career, though he knows there is competition.
“My objective at Juve is first of all to get enough space to play and then win everything with this club. I talked to the coach this morning, he is very nice. He was a player not too long ago and a wonderful one, so I told him that he’s great for the way he works and I want to be a great player here at Juve.
“Everyone in Colombia is celebrating, because this is an important step for me, my family and all the kids who also have a dream and can see me making it happen.”
🗣️ Excited to be part of the ⚪️⚫️ family! 🤳 pic.twitter.com/BGm8hk3ekR
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) July 18, 2024
Funny , he didn’t mention this when he played for Verona!