Beukema: “It was difficult to say goodbye to Thiago Motta.”

Bologna defender Sam Beukema has opened up about former coach Thiago Motta’s departure and the recent links to Juventus in an interview with As. The 26-year-old Dutch center-back shared his thoughts on Motta’s coaching style and the team’s remarkable achievement of qualifying for the Champions League.

Beukema expressed the difficulty of bidding farewell to Motta, stating, “It was hard to say goodbye to him; everyone had great respect. Look at how he made us play… During the week, he’s rather calm: he’s not very talkative and doesn’t shout. He watches more than he speaks. But when you play, he’s very attentive to how you’re doing. And in conversations, you understand how tactically obsessed he is.”

Regarding Juventus, Beukema acknowledged the speculation surrounding Motta’s move: “At some point, the news came out, until he left. It will be special to see him and many others from the staff again on Saturday.”

The defender also touched on Bologna’s historic Champions League qualification, describing it as “Incredible, I had never seen so many people all together.”

When asked about his future, Beukema remained focused on the present: “We’ll see. For now, I want to repeat what we did last year with Bologna. It’s a pride for me to play for this team, then we’ll see at the end of the season.”

Beukema also addressed rumors linking him to Real Madrid, responding with a smile: “When you read something like that, you can’t help but smile…”