Former Juventus defender Alex Sandro, who left the club in June to return to Brazil, shared his thoughts on the current state of the Bianconeri and their upcoming match against AC Milan. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport from Rio de Janeiro, where he now plays for Flamengo, Sandro reminisced about his time in Turin and offered insights on the new-look Juventus team.
“The matches against Milan were my favourites. Partly because it’s an Italian classic and partly because the Rossoneri have always had a Brazilian tradition,” Sandro said, reflecting on his nine years and 18 encounters with Milan as a Juventus player.
When asked about what he misses from Juventus, Sandro replied, “Everything! I returned to Brazil, but I left my heart with Juve and Turin. Nine beautiful years: when I arrived in 2015, I never thought I’d enter the club’s history. What an honor to be the foreign player with the most appearances for Juve alongside Nedved.”
Sandro described the current Juventus team as “new and fresh,” noting the changes in players, management, and coaching staff. “It’s a young Juve, like we’ve never seen in my 9 years. It’s different from those of Allegri, Sarri, and Pirlo. They’re trying to propose a more beautiful game, but Allegri has shown that results count at Juve. As a fan, I hope Thiago Motta manages to combine beautiful football and triumphs.”
On the topic of new signings, Sandro praised Timothy Weah’s performances: “Weah is impressing me the most. Timothy is surprising, probably he was right: last year he said he felt more like a striker.” He also commended Cambiaso and Yildiz for confirming their top-level status.
Regarding the Serie A title race, Sandro believes it will be a three-way battle between Juventus, Inter, and Napoli. “I trust Juve and hope they manage to triumph,” he added.
When asked about Danilo’s reduced playing time and Douglas Luiz’s struggles to integrate, Sandro expressed sympathy for his compatriots but emphasized the need for patience. “Danilo is a brother, and it saddens me not to see him always on the field. As for Douglas Luiz, he’s strong, but his football is not yet that of Juve. It’s not easy to fit in. I’ve seen champions like Khedira and Pjanic struggle in the beginning. Patience is needed with him.”
Sandro also shared his thoughts on the upcoming Milan-Juventus match, tipping Cambiaso as a potential match-winner. He praised the young Italian as currently the most complete left-back in Serie A, even ahead of Theo Hernandez and Dimarco.
Reflecting on his own career at Juventus, Sandro identified his 2017 form and the Champions League final in Cardiff as his peak. He added, “But I always saw the criticisms of recent years as a stimulus to improve myself. The strong ones get criticized; it’s part of the game.”
Finally, when asked about potential defensive reinforcements for Juventus, Sandro suggested looking at his current Flamengo teammates: “At Flamengo, I’m playing with Ortiz, Pereira, and Bruno: all suitable for European football.”
As the interview concluded, Sandro fondly recalled a humorous phrase from Allegri’s coaching days: “In the final moments of matches, when we were ahead, he would always say: now let’s put the knife in the ball. It was a signal: from that moment, Chiellini would start kicking the ball into the stands. Max is great. And how nice to see Chiellini back at Juve as a director. I have great affection for Giorgio, Leo, Barza, and Gigi.”
