Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini said he was ‘disappointed’ and knew Leonardo Bonucci ‘made a mistake’ when he joined Milan in 2017. ‘With all due respect, Milan at the time was not Real Madrid’.
The centre-back shocked Juventus fans when he decided to join Milan in 2017 but the Italy international returned to the Allianz Stadium after only one season with the Rossoneri.
Chiellini spoke to DAZN about Bonucci’s move to the Serie A rivals and revealed he was ‘disappointed’.
Bonucci returned in August 2018 and has since helped Juventus win another two Scudetti.
“I was disappointed,” Chiellini told the broadcaster. “I wrote him a message in private. Life’s choices must be accepted, but I knew he was making a mistake.
“Milan at the time, with all due respect, was not Real Madrid, not the Milan of today. Going there today would be different. In that period, Leo took a step back in a difficult moment.”
Chiellini believes the 34-year-old wouldn’t have made the decision if they spent time together the summer of the move.
“If we had gone on vacation together the month before, maybe he wouldn’t have left,” Chiellini said. “I would have made him understand he was making a mistake.”
Bonucci has returned as a protagonist at Juventus and has played 452 competitive games with the Bianconeri during his two stints in Turin.
The veteran has contributed 31 goals and 10 assists during his time with the Old Lady, while he scored two goals in his 51 games with Milan in 2017-18.
#Chiellini: “#Bonucci al Milan? Mica era il Real! Ci rimasi malissimo”👇 https://t.co/qRdOahHzcg
— Corriere dello Sport (@CorSport) October 23, 2021
Chiellini should know better… no one cares. “Next question….”