AC Milan move matured me, claims Juventus defender Bonucci

The centre-back has opened up about his year-long stint with the Rossoneri and how it helped him grow as a person

Leonardo Bonucci has revealed his season at AC Milan helped him to mature as a player.

The experienced defender moved to San Siro at the start of the 2017-18 campaign from Juventus, before returning to the Turin club the following summer.

While Bonucci didn’t enjoy the best season with Milan, the 32-year-old admitted his year away from Juventus did have some positive impacts on his career.

“If I think back to the Leonardo I was two or three years ago, I would not have made certain decisions,” he said on Thursday at the Allianz Stadium, as part of a workshop on generational change.

“The decision to go to Milan, as everyone knows, made me mature as a man. It was a big chance and perhaps too big for the man I was at the time.”

“The young Leonardo was a bit too fiery,” he added. “When you meet someone who gives you good advice for your own, you must have the humility to listen.”

The Italian also revealed his game has been heavily influenced by a former Milan defender.

“I watched a lot of Alessandro Nesta videos, as he had similar characteristics, studied carefully and applied myself,” Bonucci said.

Since returning to Juve, the centre-back has seen several changes at the club, not least on the management front, where Maurizio Sarri has taken charge.

Speaking as part of the interview, Bonucci revealed Sarri’s style is very different from his predecessor’s, Massimiliano Allegri.

“It was a total transformation compared to the way we played before,” said the Juve no.19. 

“You have to press the reset button on what you did before because now this is very different. The first thing is to accept the change because what you did in your comfort zone is not the only way.”

Juventus are currently second in Serie A after 14 games, despite not yet losing a league match this campaign. Sarri’s men currently trail Inter by a point in table, with the Milan-based club winning 12 of their 14 matches to date.

The Old Lady also face a tough clash this weekend when they travel to the Italian capital on Saturday to take on third-place Lazio.

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