Juventus players were not prepared to play with Ronaldo: Gianluigi Buffon

Former Italian footballer Gianluigi Buffon reckoned that Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Juventus had disturbed the balance of the team to a large extent. Earlier, the 43-year-old was greeted with a lot of brickbats after he remarked that Juventus “lost their DNA” after Ronaldo’s inclusion.

Back in July 2018, Ronaldo inked a four-year deal with Juventus thereby ending his nine-year stay at Real Madrid. Giving a clarification on his statement, Buffon said he didn’t blame Ronaldo and that the management should have been more careful while signing a player of his stature.

In his latest interview with Corriere Della Serra, Gianluigi Buffon clarified his statement further and said he said what he thinks, and said that he wasn't faulting Ronaldo but that, in his opinion, the players weren't prepared.

“I said that the team lost a bit of DNA because that's what I think. And, on further reflection, this was not Ronaldo's fault. When a club hires a player of Ronaldo's level, they know exactly what can happen. You have to understand if the other players are prepared and, in my opinion, the Juventus players were not prepared to play with Ronaldo. Like it or not, everyone has felt their weight in the team and that should never happen, especially at a club like Juventus,” he stated.

When I returned Juventus was no longer the same

Buffon mentioned that the Juventus team had undergone massive changes from the time left to when he returned to the club. “When Cristiano arrived at the club, I had gone to Paris Saint Germain. When I returned, the team was different, it was no longer the same as the one I had left a year before," Buffon said.

Ronaldo made a thunderous start to his campaign for Juventus as the team won two back-to-back Serie A titles. Last season, Juventus couldn’t win the championship after they finished fourth in the standings. Back in 2021, Juventus’ nine-year reign of the Serie A title came to an end after Inter Milan emerged victoriously.

During his stint at Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo amassed 101 goals and became the fastest player for them to reach the 100-goal milestone in a mere 131 matches. Back in August 2021, Ronaldo returned to Manchester United, a club he rose to prominence with.

Image: AP/ Twitter/ Juventusfcen