Leonardo Bonucci explains his decision to leave Juventus for AC Milan
Italy international defender Bonucci officially completed his move on Thursday and wrote on Instagram: “When you think of AC Milan, you naturally think of the team’s history, of all those champions who have worn the famous team colours.
“I think of [Franco] Baresi, [Alessandro] Costacurta, [Paolo] Maldini, [Alessandro] Nesta, [Mauro] Tassotti. I admire them for what they have given to football and this club. They are legends.
“I arrive today to start writing a new page in the Rossoneri history and in my career. The challenge begins now, a new adventure starts today together with comrades who, like me, are so hungry to win.
“I would like to thank the entire team, director [Marco] Fassone, [sporting director Massimiliano] Mirabelli and Mr [Vincenzo] Montella, who have all strongly supported me and made me feel so central to this ambitious new plan.”
Bonucci added that he had been “greeted with affection and warmth” by the fans and looked forward to “bringing AC Milan back to the heights of the Italian and European tournaments.”
The defender, who won six straight Serie A titles with Juventus, is Milan’s 10th new signing of the summer, but his €42 million arrival does not signal the end of the club’s spending as Fassone works on bringing in a forward.
“We’re still lacking the cherry on top,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“It could even be somebody else [rather than rumoured arrivals Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nikola Kalinic or Andrea Belotti] — it could be Mr. X. I think this has been my most enjoyable, exciting seasons.”
But Fassone urged fans to be patient, saying it is “rationally speaking, almost impossible” to win the title in the first season after a major rebuilding of the team.
“Let’s say that, if we want to talk about objectives, it would be nice to have Milan among the top five clubs in the world by 2022,” he added.
