Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi snubbed as former opponent names striker he hated playing

Leonardo Bonucci notably named Fernando Torres as the toughest opponent he has ever faced on the pitch, rather than Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. The revered Juventus prop hung up his boots last year after a brief spell in Türkiye with Fenerbahce. His remarkable 12 years at Juve propelled him to the top as one of the best defenders in football.

Throughout his storied career, Bonucci, capped 121 times for Italy, won nine Serie A titles and clinched the Euro 2020 crown, invariably facing top strikers at club and international stages . Bonucci's meetings with Ronaldo and Messi are iconic, as he suffered defeats in the Champions League final before teaming up with Ronaldo at Juventus.

Despite having extensive first-hand experience facing footballing greats, particularly with Ronaldo, it was surprising that Bonucci did not single out either star when discussing which strikers posed the biggest challenges. Instead, he identified the talents of the former Liverpool and Chelsea dynamo, the Mirror reports.

In a conversation with MARCA, Bonucci expressed his respect for Torres: “I would highlight Fernando 'El Nino' ​​​​Torres. He is the one who gave me the most difficulty because he attacked well, attacked very well played with his physique and used his body well. The duels against him were always very difficult.

The former defender endured some formidable challenges against the Spaniard, but was the target of a particularly painful footballing memory during the Euro 2012 final when Torres scored a goal in the emphatic 4-0 victory of Spain against Italy.

Speaking to Sky, Bonucci expressed his admiration for Ronaldo and Messi, but ultimately named the Argentine superstar as the greatest footballer he has seen, despite his personal ties to Ronaldo: “As a former teammate, I say Ronaldo, he's a machine. As a football fan outside the sector, I say Leo Messi.”

While sharing the Juventus dressing room with Ronaldo for three seasons, where they won two league titles, Bonucci observed the Portuguese captain's massive impact on the team. Yet he suggested that this influence had an unintended side effect on team motivation.

In an interview with The Athletic, Bonucci candidly reflected on the dynamics within the team during the Al-Nassr striker's tenure at Juventus: “Ronaldo's presence had a big influence on us, the Just training with him gave us something more, but subconsciously the players began to think that his presence alone was enough to win matches.

“We started to miss a little bit of our daily work, the humility, the sacrifice, the desire to be there for our teammates day in and day out. Over the last few years, I think we've seen that. “