Juventus star Leonardo Bonucci has revealed that he came extremely close to joining Manchester City in 2016, while he’s had the chance to fulfil his ‘dream’ of playing under Pep Guardiola on three separate occasions in total – in 2016, 2017 and 2020.
The 34-year-old has spent the majority of his senior career in Turin, although he did leave the Italian giants to spend a fateful season at AC Milan in 2017, before returning 12 months later.
But Bonucci’s career could have followed a very different path, after he admitted that he almost joined Man City in 2016, and that it had always been his ‘dream’ to play under coach Guardiola.
“I had this dream of being coached by Pep,” Bonucci told The Athletic.
“The closest we came was in 2016. I was on the brink of joining City. We were down to the very last details then Juventus decided not to sell. We decided to stay together.
“Then, when I went to AC Milan, I could have gone to City but several things had to fall into place for it to happen. I’d also given my word to Milan.
“Last year, I spoke to Pep again. He wanted me but I told him: ‘Juventus is my home. I’m happy here. I feel at home here’. I wanted to make up the ground I lost by going to Milan for a season. Becoming a symbol of Juventus again is the most exciting thing I could be doing in my career right now.”
A move to the Premier League never materialised, so Bonucci has been handed the chance to rebuild bridges in Turin, having caused plenty of bad will with his decision to leave Juve in 2017. Supporters are beginning to warm to the Italy star, particularly after his heroics at Euro 2020.
