New Juventus signing Bonucci thanks Inter

(GSM) – Leonardo Bonucci has thanked Internazionale for showing him the door last summer. The centre-half believes he would never been signed by Juventus if he had stayed at the Giuseppe Meazza.

“I left Inter for market reasons and I joined Genoa,” said Bonucci. “I was lucky really because if that had not happened then I wouldn’t be at Juventus today.”

The 23-year-old defender was signed by the Rossoblu who instantly sold a half-share in him to Bari, where he got the chance to show his true talents which brought him to South Africa, as a part of Italy’s World Cup squad.

“My explosion was a surprise for everybody,” he added. “I always believed in my potential, but I didn’t think that I would reach the national team so soon.”

The stopper didn’t play a single minute at the World Cup, but he did complete a €15.5 million move to the Bianconeri on his return from South Africa.

“I’m not emotional or scared, I just have a great desire to start the season and do well,” he noted. “It is a stimulating situation that I’m in.

“I had a good campaign at Bari, but this needs to be the season of my consecration.”

When asked what was expected of the Juve squad, he admitted that they will have to deliver this season.

“This team is condemned to do well in order to cancel out what happened last season,” he continued.

“We’ll just aim to do better with each Sunday that passes in order to get Juventus back to where she belongs.

“There are no internal battles within the squad, just competition for places which helps an individual to push even harder in each training session.

“Then it will be up to the coach to decide whether he plays Diego or Alessandro Del Piero, myself or Nicola Legrottaglie and so on.”