Ronaldo ruined Juventus' DNA - Gianluigi Buffon

 

Gianluigi Buffon has criticized Cristiano Ronaldo in a recent interview, blaming the Portuguese for the situation at Juventus. (Photo credit: ESPN)

Juventus long serving goalkeeper and Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon has said Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Juventus in 2018 ruined the Serie A side’s DNA.

Ronaldo, now back at Manchester United for a second spell, scored 101 goals in 135 appearances for Juventus and won two Serie A titles but the club did not progress beyond the Champions League quarterfinal stage during his three years in Turin.

"Juventus had the chance to win the Champions League the first year he arrived, which was the year I was at Paris Saint-Germain, and I couldn't figure out what happened," Buffon told ESPN.

 

"When I returned, I worked with Ronaldo for two years and we did well together, but I think Juventus lost that DNA of being a team.

"We reached the Champions League final in 2017 because we were a side full of experience, but above all we were a single unit and there was this competition for places within the group that was very strong. We lost that with Ronaldo."

Buffon spent nearly two decades at Juventus, spending the 2018/19 season at PSG but has now returned to his first club Parma in the second tier of Italian football at the age of 43 years.