Matthijs de Ligt has come full circle at Juventus. From being of a fan of the Old Lady as a youngster, to scoring an important Champions League goal against the Bianconeri, to now, finally, signing for the club. For him, it’s a dream come true to join the Italian Champions, while it’s also a dream realised for the fans, who have rejoiced in having one of Europe’s best centre-backs join the fray of top-class defenders at the club.
"The photo of me in a Juventus shirt was taken when I was about six or seven, at that time Fabio Cannavaro was a defender that I admired“, he revealed when asked about the image he posted of him as a youngster in the black and white jersey. “I always had a good feeling about Juventus and I've always been a fan".
"I'm 19, I can still improve and I want to do that. It's important to work hard every day and to learn and I hope to become a better player," he added. "We want to win them all: this is the mentality of Juventus."
JOINING JUVENTUS
“I'm still young but I feel like I've got a lot of experience for a 19-year-old, that's why I made this move to gain more experience and to learn from the players here. It's a big step, my first outside of my home country. I was really honoured with how the Juventus fans welcomed me and I hope that I can give a lot back. I have to get used to a new sporting culture here and a new sporting environment and I hope that I can give my best".
DEFENCE STYLE OF THE GAME
“I came here because Italy is one of the most traditional countries for defenders. Juventus is a great forwards step for me. In Holland there is a lot of building from the back and defending high up the pitch. Italy is more about zonal marking and defending together, I think that Juve can help me and I can help them. Ajax was a younger environment and here I hope that I can learn from great champions like Chiellini, Gianluigi Buffon, Cristiano and many others."
RONALDO’S INFLUENCE
“After the Nations League final I was already sure that I wanted to join Juventus, but it was still a big compliment to have Cristiano Ronaldo ask me to join here but it didn't make the difference.”
A CHAT WITH MR SARRI
"I spoke to Sarri on the phone before coming just to get to know each other. He was one of the reasons that I wanted to join here, I've heard a lot of good things about him and I like his footballing philosophy and how he prepares his defence."
CHOOSING HIS JERSEY NUMBER
“The number 4 for me has always been special, I wore it since the youth teams of Ajax. It has an important legacy here too at Juventus, so I hope to live up to this number".
(Photo Getty Images)
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Source: legaseriea.it