Former Juventus defender Matthijs De Ligt has recently explained why he decided to leave the Bianconeri in favour of a new adventure with German titans Bayern Munich, revealing that the prospect of winning the Champions League was one of the key factors.
The Dutchman had joined Juve for a reported total fee of €75m plus bonuses in the summer of 2019, having previously made a mighty impression with his performances for boyhood club Ajax.
Despite having signed a five-year deal, De Ligt left after just three to join Bayern in 2022 for an initial sum of €67m.
“Bayern had been eliminated from the Champions League by Villarreal and then they contacted my agent to say they needed a new defender. Then, my agent told me and asked if I wanted to go to Bayern. I immediately said that if there was a chance, I would like to go,” De Ligt explained in a recent interview with Voetbalzone.nl.
He continued: “I had fun and I was loved there (at Juventus), but when a club like Bayern wants to sign you there is always the possibility of winning the Champions League, of winning the league. I didn’t have to think about it for long.”
The 24-year-old won the DFL Supercup almost immediately after switching the Allianz Stadium for the Allianz Arena, before lifting his first Bundesliga title in dramatic fashion, having snatched the title away from Borussia Dortmund in the final minutes of the 2022-23 season.
Opportunities under Thomas Tuchel have so far been less frequent in 2023-24, although he did find the net on his first and, to date, only Bundesliga start of the season in a 7-0 win over VfL Bochum in September.
Maybe he should have focused less on “having fun” in Turin and more on defending and winning. He was a disaster during his last season, and not particularly good the year before.