Former Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci has made explosive comments about his departure from the club, suggesting he was pushed out due to a “power play” by an unnamed individual, widely believed to be manager Massimiliano Allegri.
In a revealing interview on the podcast “Passa dal Bsmt” with Gianluca Gazzoli, Bonucci expressed his disappointment with how his Juventus career ended:
The End of the Relationship with Juventus
On the end of his relationship with Juventus, Bonucci stated: “It is certainly a wound that will remain because when you give so much, you also expect a lot in return. I must say that Juve gave me a lot, but ending things in this manner was a blow I never expected. It hurt me. Even talking about it today gives me a bit of sadness. I see other players who have played for Juventus and done less than me receiving the right tribute, and I had to leave almost running away because someone decided it had to be this way. It was a manifestation of power by an individual that I didn’t deserve. If they had been clear, I would have accepted leaving. If everyone had said the year before, ‘Look, it’s over here,’ instead, they told me, ‘Look, we have priorities over you, but having you in the group is important.'”
The Relationship with Giuntoli
“Then I found myself with Giuntoli, who had just arrived and therefore had no other choice, and he told me, ‘Look, you’re no longer in the plans. You’re out of the squad.’ At first, it almost seemed like a joke, after more than 500 matches to receive my walking papers in this manner… But it was all real. Paradoxically, I returned to training on July 17 and was training at 7:30 PM when the team trained either early in the morning or didn’t train in the afternoon. I was with other guys in my same situation, who maybe had been on loan somewhere or were returning from an injury. Even today, I can’t give myself an explanation. Or rather, I know the explanation. It was a power play. Before Giuntoli communicated the decision to me, I had already sensed it. Articles were coming out that hinted at it, and indeed, when I received the call from Manna informing me they were coming to my house to talk, I told my wife, ‘Look, they’re coming because something is happening that we didn’t expect.’ So I was prepared, but you’re never really prepared for certain things that are said to you. Especially when you’ve built your entire career around Juventus.”
The Transfer to the Bundesliga
“The choice to go to Union Berlin? Continuing to play was an inner need of mine. Given how the situation with Juventus had evolved, I felt the need inside me to go play to still feel like a player. When Juve informed me that I was out of the squad and that I would have to find another team, my immediate thought was, ‘Without my family, I don’t see myself anywhere.’ Because in 15 years, my wife and I have always lived side by side. The idea of going without them scared me. Unfortunately, the decision was made on August 31, when there was no more time to organize the children’s school activities, so I had to put myself and my work ahead of them. And this is something that has tested me and my family.”
Bonucci: “These Haven’t Been Easy Months”
“These haven’t been easy months. Then you have to be a bit selfish, as I was, because I knew that if I had ended my career in that way, I would have carried a burden for the rest of my life. Because I’ve lived for football, and ending it in that manner wouldn’t have made me happy. Today I can say that I’m ending my career as a footballer peacefully. My dream was to finish my career with the National Team and Juventus in a different way, but then you have to know how to adapt. You have to accept what happens and prepare for change. I dreamed of participating in this European Championship, it was my goal. I had set myself the goal of ending my career at 37. Sincerity has always been what distinguished me in my career because when I spoke in the past and when I speak now, I don’t like to hide behind clichés or put on a mask to appear nice in front of others.”
The Move to Milan
“Juventus? After more than 500 matches, I didn’t get the farewell I deserved and still deserve for what I gave to Juventus. I put Juventus before my wife, my children, and my well-being because even when I left in 2017 (for Milan), I made that choice because I didn’t want to be a problem in the locker room, so I took that path to avoid harming Juventus. And this is something I had told the president about everything that had happened in the last six months of the previous season. I have to leave here because I would be detrimental inside the locker room. Because I know myself. It was a decision shared with the coach and director, who sold me for little considering my value at that moment.” On his Juventus loyalty, Bonucci added: “I’ve never hidden behind a mask, I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m a Juventus fan and that I defend Juventus in any way. To love it even at the cost of personal sacrifice. When you behave like this, you’re in the eye of the storm when half a thing goes wrong.”
The Dream in the Drawer
“Perhaps my journey with Juventus is not yet over because when I think about wanting to become a coach, I think about that bench there. Even though I received a wrong due to the will of an individual, I like to think that this story is not yet finished. Maybe it’s an explanation I give myself to not feel still hurt by this lack because it was hard to digest. The anger I had inside made me make wrong choices because I made the choice to move forward even though I had the strength from a signed contract to go against Juventus. But at that moment, I did it out of anger because, in the end, Juventus wasn’t Juventus, at that moment there weren’t the right people to make a choice like the one that was made because the directors who had stepped in at that moment didn’t have the power to say ‘No, we do it this way.’ So they had to follow a bit in the wake of what had been the decisions of someone else. Afterwards, when I stopped for a moment and the anger had subsided a bit, I said, ‘What am I doing? Juventus is not the problem of everything, so it’s not right that I continue on this path to fight a battle that yes, would lead me to victory, but that wouldn’t have given me anything anyway. Because the anger I felt was towards those who had made that decision to put me out of the squad and not towards Juventus.”
The Broadsides at Allegri
Bonucci finally spoke about his relationship with Allegri: “After 8 years together, he could have called me to resolve the situation. The last contact I had was after the match in Udine. We said goodbye after returning from the away game, as always at the end of the season. Then even when I was at the sports center, there was never a confrontation. As if I were a stranger to him. We have different characters, we’ve confronted each other, we’ve discussed, we’ve argued, but I’ve done that with other coaches too. In a human relationship, there should be a minimum of respect and recognition. It would have been enough if he had been clear from the beginning. I was at the sports center for a month and a half and I never received a call from him to tell me: come here, let’s fix this thing, I’m sorry, anything. The decision to leave me out could very well have been communicated to me by the club, but a confrontation after all the years together would have been the minimum.”
The Friend Perin, the BBBC, and the Future with Chiellini
“I’ve also argued with Conte,” Bonucci continues, “but in the locker room and on the field, these things happen, especially when there’s a genuine relationship. I’ve always tried to be myself, on and off the field, in any situation. Perhaps this true side of me that came out made me a bit unlikeable, difficult to understand, but I can look at myself in the mirror knowing I’ve never worn a mask. Obviously, in a world that lives behind many masks, when you’re genuine, you attract criticism and insults, and it’s rare for people to understand. With Allegri, we clashed, he made this choice the season before: I repeat, after 8-9 years together, ending like this was ugly and disappointing in a human sense.”
“Before leaving Juventus, besides family, the close player friends were three: Barzagli, Chiellini, and Perin. And with the two who are a bit more experienced, there was a true and deep conversation, they also helped me understand and see the other side of the coin. Mattia was also supportive, still being at Juventus, helping me understand and talking about the Juve that was before and that we were fortunate to experience, where for 10 years we dominated in Italy, and we also came close to the Champions League twice. These three are the people I talked to the most, Giorgio above all, even though he was in America and there were time differences. Chiellini, compared to me, is more reflective, I might need to vent my anger because I’m proud. He, with his calmness, with his tranquility, made me reflect. I’ve argued with him many times too, because I live on impulse and when I see on the other side a person who, in their way of being, transmits calmness but at that moment I need anger, we argue. But the relationship has strengthened over time, it still lasts: we talk 1-2 times a week, we vacation together and in the future there will surely be a way to meet again professionally. If you confront each other, you also expect an argument, and if the relationship is true, you overcome it, you grow. In fact, in my opinion, it’s necessary. Chiellini, Barzagli, Buffon, and I were important in the Juve locker room when we won, dividing the tasks a bit. To perform certain ways on the field, you need to know each other, you need to be connected off the field too, and we built that.”
“I Spoke with Dybala at Half-Time in Cardiff”: The Behind-the-Scenes Story
“Did Buffon and Chiellini try to mediate in 2017? They helped. After the match where the incident happened, the locker room argument with the coach, I was supposed to be out of the squad by the coach’s decision. They mediated with Nedved and Paratici, so I only missed one game: the coach accepted it and I accepted having to miss a Champions League round of 16 match. The argument started because I shouted from the field to substitute Marchisio, who was tired after returning from a knee injury: we needed him for Porto, so I yelled to change him. Claudio didn’t want to come off despite having cramps, so I shouted at the coach to make the substitution. Instead, he changed Rincon with Sturaro, and I said he should change Marchisio because he couldn’t go on anymore, he was exhausted and we had to play again in 3 days. I don’t know if he understood something different: we were on the field, he yelled harshly and then everything transferred to the locker room. In that case, mediation arrived and so I, after the Porto game, returned in the next league match and from there I always played. Afterwards, there were other episodes, including discussions with management because it came out that in Cardiff at half-time of the Champions League final, I had argued with practically everyone. But it wasn’t true at all, I didn’t argue with anyone. In fact, I went to Dybala, who had been booked and was hiding a bit for fear of the yellow card, and I told him ‘Paulo, play freely, don’t think about the card, because your talent can make us win’.”
The Anger Towards the Club: “They Should Have Defended Me”
“But two-three days later, articles came out attacking me, where I was always the black sheep of the group. I called the club and said: ‘Excuse me, but they’re attacking me without reason and you were present. Shouldn’t you intervene?’ Their response was that they didn’t need to intervene because they weren’t used to doing so. That is, an asset of the club is being attacked and for you there’s no need? This sent me into a fury, and there the relationship definitely cracked for that period. In hindsight, given how they sold me, perhaps the best solution was to conclude a transfer that would be good for everyone. Then relationships were mended over the course of the year and I returned once Milan could no longer keep me. I said that if I had to leave the Rossoneri, I only wanted to return to Juve.”
The Birth of the “Mouth-Rinsing” Celebration
“The goal in Turin against Juve and the ‘mouth-rinsing’ celebration? It was my usual celebration: I’ve always said that I don’t understand those who don’t celebrate against teams they’ve played for, for various reasons. First, if you were sold, no one held a gun to your head; the club also decided to sell you. Second, you don’t respect your new fans who came to the stadium to see you. Third, before the match, I had entered the field and received only whistles and insults from the stadium. They probably behaved that way out of both love and hate. And I was genuine at that moment: I had scored the equalizing goal, which was important. I was Milan’s captain, and I respected the fans who had come from all over Italy to support Milan. I didn’t disrespect Juve’s supporters; I respected the Rossoneri fans. Even in that case, the false myth was created that Bonucci is unlikeable, that no one would want him because he’s a Juventino… This came up again when the transfer from Union Berlin to Roma fell through, because the Giallorossi fans said they couldn’t bear to see a Juventino in their shirt. I’m a Juve fan, I’ve always been, but when I step on the field wearing a shirt, I play for that team, we’re professionals: this is forgotten because it’s convenient, so controversy is created.”
“The celebration? It originated during my move from Bari to Juventus. Where I’m from, when you speak ill of someone, we say ‘Rinse your mouth’. I have a group of friends who support different teams – Lazio, Roma, Juve, Inter, Milan… When I transferred to Juve, we made a bet: if I scored at least 5 goals in my first year, always celebrating that way, all my friends would shave their heads like me. That year I scored 4 goals, so I didn’t win the bet, and fortunately for them, they kept their hair. Then from there, I noticed that kids would greet me with that celebration: it’s a nice thing, a gesture between friends, so I continued to do it. Then after a game with Roma where I scored, I posted my celebration on social media, and that’s when the controversy arose that I had attacked the fans, that it was a gesture towards the Giallorossi supporters. From that moment on, every time I celebrated, it was controversial, and trying to explain the true meaning was a lost cause. Fortunately, I’ve scored many goals, several important ones for Juve, Milan, and Italy. Even with Union Berlin, when I scored under Borussia Dortmund’s ‘Yellow Wall’, I celebrated the same way: this is to say that I don’t do that gesture against opposing fans.”
“I’ve had many coaches, but Conte is my role model”
“Scoring a goal or making an incredible defensive intervention? For us defenders, saving a goal is unique. The problem is that it’s viewed differently: if you intervene and save a goal, you’ve just done your job, no one praises what you’ve done. Goalkeepers are idolized if they save a goal, or players who score. I remember the intervention on Higuain, but also the one in Champions League against Lokomotiv Moscow: Szczesny was beaten on a shot by Joao Mario and I saved it on the line, with my thigh, and that was worth the passage to the round of 16. I remember those interventions, and those who live for that, but people remember the 3-2 goal. Today with social media, it’s easier to highlight defensive actions, before it was much more difficult. By the way, I started as a midfielder, then in Viterbese’s youth team I changed roles. That year I even started as a striker because the needed forward hadn’t arrived: I played 7 matches and scored 4 goals. Then the center-forward arrived and moved me to defender, not even passing through midfield. And there I was told that if I wanted to have a career like Nesta was having, I had to play there, having game vision while needing to improve in the defensive phase. I was skeptical, but I was the team captain and reluctantly accepted so as not to contradict the coach.”
“Scudetti. The most beautiful was the first: we were coming from two seventh-place finishes, Juve was struggling to find itself after 2006. And with Conte, this ride began: no one considered us protagonists of the championship, and instead with work, dedication, and Antonio’s mentality we were a steamroller. I’ve had the opportunity to be coached by many managers, but the one I’m most grateful to is Conte. He invented the BBC, I improved a lot thanks to him. Then I had other good coaches like Mancini with whom we won the European Championship or Lippi who called me to the National team at the beginning. I also like to remember Gattuso who I had at Milan: he’s like a brother, I want to mention him because it was important for me to have him, for the man as well as for the coach.”
“Conte is definitely a model for me, to take inspiration from. Any episode? When we argued (laughs). We said everything to each other: it was 2014. He had changed the formation and I hadn’t played, the following day in training he was provoking me because I wasn’t giving my all. He was right, but I’m proud, I felt I had been wronged. We almost came face to face, but the next day we hugged and even today we often talk, we confront each other. What makes the difference in his way of coaching? The tactical preparation, which is obvious to everyone, but also meticulousness and consistency in what he does. He’s a hammer that doesn’t give up and convinces you that what he’s telling you leads to the right path, and many times what he said in meetings or showed you on the field happened. Besides this, he has the gift of bringing out your animal side: just think of Italy at Euro 2016. We were an average National team that went to play against the world champions Germany, and we only lost on penalties. I remember he made us do tests at the beginning of the European Championship that seemed absurd considering we were supposed to play 10 days later. Instead, to show us that we could give 100%, he made us do that test and told us that whoever didn’t finish it wouldn’t even be called up”
