Leonardo Bonucci, the former Juventus and Milan defender, recently opened up about his career and some of the toughest opponents he faced. While he shared the pitch with many greats, he surprisingly omitted Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as his toughest adversary.
During an appearance on Sky Calcio Club, Bonucci said that the forward that caused him sleepless nights was Duvan Zapata, who is currently playint with Torino. “My nightmare, who didn’t make me sleep at night, was Zapata. God, before games against his Atalanta side, I couldn’t sleep. His power and physicality made him my nightmare,” the Italian center-back admitted.
He also mentioned how much he enjoyed his battles with Luis Suarez. “The one that hit me the most and the one I had more fun with was Luis Suarez because he hit and got hit without any problem,” he explained.
Bonucci is known as one of the best defenders of his generation. Among his achievements, we can include his eight Serie A titles with Juventus, the UEFA EURO 2020 with Italy, and reaching two Champions League Finals.
Duvan Zapata of Torino FC (Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
The veteran defender retired last summer after spending his final professional season with Union Berlin and Fenerbahce. Bonucci leaves behind a storied career with the Italy national team as well, having made his senior debut in 2010 and scoring eight goals in 121 appearances.
see also
Lionel Messi and Lionel Scaloni lose another soldier in Argentina’s World Cup Qualifying matches
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo still fuel the GOAT debate
While both Messi and Ronaldo are in the twilight of their careers, both forwards are still the center of the conversation when it comes to discussing the greatest players of all the time. Especially as they both have continued to be successful in the United States and Saudi Arabia, respectively.
Messi has recently clinched the Supporters’ Shield with Inter Miami, the first for the club, and he will have a chance to also compete for the MLS Championship in the upcoming playoffs. Meanwhile, Ronaldo keeps adding to his scoring tally to 905 goals.
