Weston McKennie admits to being a little star-struck by his Juventus teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and coach Andrea Pirlo. ‘He’s so elegant, but you can’t take the ball from him.’
The 22-year-old USA international made the move from Schalke 04 for €23m plus up to €7m bonuses.
“It’s a different level for sure, both on the field and off it,” the former Schalke 04 midfielder told ESPN FC, thanking the Bianconeri for helping him find a house within a couple of weeks and bring his dogs over too.
Weston McKennie admits to being a little star-struck by his Juventus teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and coach Andrea Pirlo. ‘He’s so elegant, but you can’t take the ball from him.’
The 22-year-old USA international made the move from Schalke 04 for €23m plus up to €7m bonuses.
“It’s a different level for sure, both on the field and off it,” the former Schalke 04 midfielder told ESPN FC, thanking the Bianconeri for helping him find a house within a couple of weeks and bring his dogs over too.
“It was definitely jaw-dropping, walking into the locker room and seeing the players you play with on PES, it was like ‘Oh My God!’ I think I can learn so much from these people and they have definitely taken me under their wing.
“Of course it wasn’t a secret that my goal was to make it to the Premier League, but having said that, when a team like Juventus comes in with the calibre of players that they have, the training staff, hearing Pirlo’s going to be the new coach, that made it all the more appealing.
“This is a club that wins titles, that challenges with the best in the world and that’s what I want to do. It’s a club full of tradition, supported by many and it was very intriguing to come here.
“It’s been honestly a big honour to play with Cristiano Ronaldo. I still remember the first time I met him, I was walking down the hallway and I was like, oh snap, be cool… be cool…
“He’s a really genuine guy, straight to the point, he wants to win, he has a great mentality and we also joke around, he calls me Texas Boy. For a player with all the accomplishments in his career, he could be snobby and stuck up, but he’s very open and warm and brings all the players into the game no matter what age you are.”
McKennie admits he can be compared to Arturo Vidal or Gennaro Gattuso in his playing style, but not so much his new coach Pirlo.
“It’s been good so far. He was one of the best at his position in the game and it’s similar to the position that I play, so I knew I’d learn so much with him as my coach.
“He plays with us sometimes and he’s so elegant and nonchalant, but at the same time you can’t take the ball from him and he’s playing dimes from the back line, so having him as a coach is pretty cool.”