Mattia Caldara admits he is ‘very excited and curious’ about learning from Cristiano Ronaldo, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli at Juventus.
Caldara chose to delay his arrival at Juve by 18 months, but the defender insisted he made the right decision, confessing ‘I wasn’t ready’ to leave Atalanta.
“It’s a very important time for me, I’m aware of it,” he began at his official unveiling on Friday.
Mattia Caldara admits he is ‘very excited and curious’ about learning from Cristiano Ronaldo, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli at Juventus.
Caldara chose to delay his arrival at Juve by 18 months, but the defender insisted he made the right decision, confessing ‘I wasn’t ready’ to leave Atalanta.
“It’s a very important time for me, I’m aware of it,” he began at his official unveiling on Friday.
“I know I’m at a great team, I’ll have to show why I deserve to be here every day. I’m also very excited and curious to see how Cristiano Ronaldo trains and understand how he can stay at these levels for so long.
“Continassa? This is a training complex of the highest level, with perfect pitches and structure, as well as a great gym.
“Mentality? It’s enough to see how Chiellini and Barzagli work to understand the winning mentality of this team.
“I could’ve joined a year ago, but I always gave everything for the Atalanta shirt. I think Perin is right when he says that the Juve train passes only once in a lifetime.
“My lawyer, family and I decided to wait, I wasn’t ready. It’s a big change, especially in terms of mentality, so it was the best choice for everyone.
“Nesta and Chiellini? My idol has always been Nesta, that’s why I chose the No 13. Over the years, I’ve also learned to value Chiellini. I have his poster in the room.
“Playing with him fills me with pride, and he’s already helping me a lot in training. There’s a lot of competition here, there are some good players in my position, but it makes me want to give more and improve myself.
“I’m happy to be here, and I’ll need [that motivation] to get higher and higher. From Chiellini, I have to learn how he marks his man. He’s unique for that.
“As for Barzagli, I admire how he reads the ball, both in possession and not so.”
Image credit @juventusfc via Twitter