Leonardo Bonucci enjoyed several high-profile battles against Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but the Italian legend named someone else as the toughest player he faced
Leonardo Bonucci selected Fernando Torres as the most difficult opponent he faced, ignoring Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The Juventus legend called time on his illustrious career last year following a short stint in Turkey with Fenerbahce. The 37-year-old rose to prominence as one of the world’s best defenders during his two spells with the Italian giants that totalled 12 years.
During a career that saw the former Italy international capture nine Scudetto trophies and the Euro 2020 title, Bonucci came up against the best attacking players football had to offer at both club and international level.
He has quite the history with Ronaldo and Messi, having lost a Champions League final to each of them as well as later becoming team-mates with the Portuguese icon at Juventus.
Having seen both up close and personal on the pitch, especially Ronaldo, Bonucci surprised the public when failing to mention either player as the forward who’d given him the most challenges, opting to highlight the brilliance of the ex-Liverpool and Chelsea star.
During an interview with MARCA, the Italian said: “I would highlight Fernando ‘El Niño’ Torres. He was the one who gave me the most difficulty because he attacked well, played very well with his physique and used his body well. The duels against him were always very difficult.”
Having enjoyed battles against Torres when the Spaniard played for AC Milan, he witnessed just how potent the Spaniard could be in front of goal in the Euro 2012 final, when the striker scored the third goal in Spain’s 4-0 rout of Italy.
Previously talking to Sky, Bonucci picked Messi over Ronaldo as the greatest football player he’s ever seen when stating: “As a former team-mate I say Ronaldo, he’s a machine. As a football fan outside of the industry, I say Leo Messi.”
In Bonucci’s three years as Ronaldo’s team-mate, Juventus won two out of three league titles. While the Al-Nassr superstar was an overwhelming success in Turin, the defender claimed his presence caused a lack of motivation among the squad.
“Ronaldo’s presence had a big influence on us,” Bonucci admitted to The Athletic. “Just training with him gave us something extra, but subconsciously, players started to think his presence alone was enough to win games.
“We began to fall a little short in our daily work, the humility, the sacrifice, the desire to be there for your teammates day after day. Over the last few years, I think you could see that.”
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