Juventus” data-scaytid=”1″>Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna reveals he was “very close to joining Roma” twice in his career.
The former Torino captain grew up in the Granata youth system and was sold to their arch rivals Juve over the summer.
Juventus defender Angelo Ogbonna reveals he was “very close to joining Roma” twice in his career.
The former Torino captain grew up in the Granata youth system and was sold to their arch rivals Juve over the summer.
“It’s true Roma were looking for me in 2011, but I spoke to President Urbano Cairo and Coach Giampiero Ventura, so I decided to stay with the Granata,” Ogbonna told Tuttosport.
“In 2005 I was just a youngster when Torino went bankrupt and so I became a free agent. I even had a trial run for Roma, but they didn’t have a place for non-EU players and the FIGC took too long to provide an executive order.
“Therefore I returned to Torino and the directors were able to resolve the problem, proving I was Italian.”
Ogbonna was born in Cassino from Nigerian parents. Under Italian law, being born in the country does not grant you citizenship and you must wait until the age of 18 to apply.