Juventus centre-back Leonardo Bonucci spoke about the importance of a great defender to the success of a team, giving as an example Manchester City defender Rúben Dias.
The Italian defended that not always the same value is given to a defender and a forward, but he reinforced the importance of a central defender with character and personality.
“The defenders don’t catch the attention of fans or journalists in the same way as attackers do. We are more like workers at the service of the team,” said the defending European champion.
The Italian spoke about the examples of Laporte and Van Dijk. In the 2019-20 season, Manchester City’s Spanish centre-back was injured, completely changing the course of the citizens’ season, which ended with Liverpool winning the championship.
In 2020-21, it was Van Dijk’s turn to get injured. The loss of the Dutchman by the Reds weakened the team, allowing Manchester City to regain the Premier League title. Regarding these cases Bonucci was clear:
“These examples show how important it is to have a charismatic defender with a great personality. It’s not enough to be a good defender. You have to be able to lead a team.”
Speaking of leadership, the 34-year-old had no doubts in setting the example of Portuguese player Rúben Dias.
“Look at the impact Rúben Dias had on Manchester City, a team I see regularly. Dias deserved top marks in his rookie season in England, 10 out of 10. It was a fantastic season. When you lose an excellent defender it’s no coincidence that the results don’t show up. This shows how valuable the defenders are in a working group,” he concluded.
These Bonucci’s comment on Dias has prompt Plenty Sky Blues to react on social media.
Bonucci knows ball
— StarboiKayky (@tebog0_) September 29, 2021
Class recognizes class
— Mbappe2022 (@Kaido37930235) September 29, 2021
Two goats.
— ¹¹ (@ZinnySZN) September 29, 2021
This is why he is the best CB to ever grace the serie A
— Assist King👑 (@cityzen017) September 29, 2021
Best defender in juventus history for a reason
— Joul (@CityJoul) September 29, 2021
Follow Us on Social media:
- Jude Bellingham explains what he finds ‘so difficult’ about playing against Manchester City
- Pep Guardiola issues four-word reason for Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne Real Madrid shoot-out absence
- Pundit says Cole Palmer is still not better than 23-year-old player at Man City
- “I only saw one team”
- Joe Cole says there’s one player at Man City he’d love to play alongside
- “We had the chances” – Manchester City defender fumes at Champions League quarter-final exit
- Guardiola stands by his decision in clash against Real Madrid
