The news he has been excluded from the Juventus squad is a sign of how far Leonardo Bonucci has fallen in a very short space of time, but also a warning it is time to hang up his boots.
Sources tell Football Italia that Bonucci is not only stripped of the captain’s armband, but cut from the squad, will have to train separately from his teammates and will be left behind during their pre-season tour of the USA.
It is a harsh approach, but one that Juve felt they ultimately had to take because he was not willing to take a subtle hint that his time with the club was over.
While the defender might think he is of use sitting on the bench all season, giving orders as if he’s already Max Allegri’s assistant manager and acting the captain behind closed doors in the locker room, Juve were not prepared to pay €12m gross for a year of just that.
According to Sky Sport Italia, even after Bonucci was informed he will not be going to the United States, he still felt confident that he could work even harder and change Allegri’s mind. When his agent is looking for new clubs, it is with the intention of playing regularly to ensure he can be called up in good shape for Italy’s participation in EURO 2024.
This is delusional thinking from the 36-year-old, who ought to accept his career at club and international level has run its course.
Yet it wasn’t so long ago that Bonucci was shouting ‘Eat more pasta’ into the camera, having scored the equaliser for Italy in the EURO 2020 Final at Wembley Stadium, mocking the England fans for their usual cliché insults. ‘It’s coming to Rome’ was his other scream on that night only two years ago.
Time starts to move faster the older you get and Bonucci is failing to realise that two years is a great deal at this stage of his career. Last season, he made only 26 competitive appearances for the Bianconeri, even during an injury crisis that had kids coming through for their debuts every other week.
It is not just physiological either, Bonucci simply hasn’t been the same player since Giorgio Chiellini left his side. He is more rash and prone to avoidable errors, his constant barking of orders whether on or off the pitch becomes irritating rather than inspirational.
One gets the feeling Bonucci has always considered himself to be a much better player than he really is or indeed ever was. Being able to place pin-point long balls is a great skill for a midfielder, but when you are a centre-back, you need more than that.
The row with Allegri really started in 2017 when he was famously sent to sit in the stands on a little stool, like the naughty kid in class. Bonucci walked out, got himself a big money move to Milan and flopped, returning a year later with his tail between his legs. It didn’t last long, he was back to the usual bluster and being the opposite of a leadership figure, all bluster and no direction.
EURO 2020 was a wonderful experience, but Chiellini saw it as the last hurrah and he was quite right. Bonucci is still trying to cling to it, now Allegri and Roberto Mancini need to cut him loose. It’s for his own good as well as the teams he leaves behind.
Twitter: @SusyCampanale
Finally the treatment Bonucci deserves! He was delusional his entire life, what would change now? They deserve each other
Would love this legend at Lazio , Dario sit down.
Lazio is hurting now that they lost SMS. Getting Bonucci might help, but he has to take a paycut.