Leonardo Bonucci has lashed out at former employers Juventus for "humiliating" him and accused the Serie A side of lying about his departure from the club.
The 36-year-old centre-back left on a free transfer this summer, ending his second spell at the club after five seasons and bringing a 12-year association with Juventus, which yielded 502 appearances in all competitions, to an end.
Now on the books at German side Union Berlin, Bonucci used an interview with SportMediaset to vent his frustrations towards Juventus' conduct and accuse his former club of lying to try make him look bad.
"I have read and heard many things that are not true," Bonucci began. "I'd like to start with the date mentioned by Juventus and the coach when they said they had made me aware of the situation in October last year.
"It could not be less true. In October last year, I was given the opportunity to continue at Juventus with a contract renewal. Indeed, at the end of May I had given my approval to being the fifth or sixth choice in defence, just to be the mother hen in the squad.
"Then I heard something else following an interview with the coach in which it was said that I had been made aware of the situation again in February 2023, when I had been told by the coach and the club that I would no longer be part of Juventus.
"I had no talks with the club at that time, but I started to smell something when I read in the newspapers that I would no longer be part of Juventus’ plans.
"Then [Giovanni] Manna and [Cristiano] Giuntoli came to my house on July 13 and humiliated me, because it was a humiliation, they told me that I would no longer be part of Juventus, part of the squad. They were giving me the chance to stay at home for a few more days because even my presence in the locker room and on the pitch would hinder the growth of Juventus. This was the humiliation I suffered after 500 or so matches in black and white.
"I appreciate the support from many players, including current ones, from Juve and other clubs. They all expressed their sympathy for the disrespectful behaviour."
Bonucci is sixth on Juventus' all-time appearance charts, with only Giuseppe Furino, Gaetano Scirea, Giorgio Chellini, Gianluigi Buffon and Alessandro del Piero managing more games for the famous Italian side.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Leonardo Bonucci launches scathing attack on Juventus over 'humiliating' departure.
