Juan Cabal insists it is ‘a dream come true’ to play for Juventus and does ‘not want to talk about’ turning his back on Inter at the last minute, but reveals Juan Cuadrado’s advice on the matter.
The transfer was completed for €12.8m plus up to another €2m in add-ons, with a contract lasting until June 2029.
“I am so happy to be here, it really is a dream come true to have joined one of the biggest clubs in the world,” said Cabal in his presentation press conference.
“I am working really hard to become an important player, following in the footsteps of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci or Fabio Cannavaro.”
It had all seemed done and dusted for him to join the Nerazzurri from Hellas Verona, but in the space of a couple of hours, Juve dived in and convinced him to play for them instead.
However, when he was asked about that in the media room, he shrugged it off.
“My family dreamed of my arrival at Juve too. I don’t want to talk about Inter, because I know they too are a big club, but my dream was Juve.”
That was evident when social media users found old photographs of the now 24-year-old wearing a counterfeit Juventus kit in Colombia.
Cabal asked Cuadrado for Juventus-Inter advice
Curiously, he is only the second Colombian player in the history of Juventus and the other was Juan Cuadrado, who has also most recently played for Inter.
“I spoke to Cuadrado, he told me that I made the right decision, because there are no other teams like Juve.”
Cabal can play as a left-back or a central defender, giving him precious versatility for coach Thiago Motta.
“The coach told me to enjoy it and keep being myself, but work and try to become a better player. He was one of the greats, so I am certain he has a lot to teach me. If I had to use just one word to describe myself, it would be resilient. I fought hard for this dream. Sometimes I still cry just for the immense joy of being here.
“I like playing both roles in defence, as a kid I really admired Brazil full-back Marcelo, but over the years I tried to learn from lots of players.”