Leonardo Bonucci was in the centre circle when by the virtue of his peripheral vision, he divined a pass for Emanuele Giaccherini. Bonucci claimed to see a rainbow just before he conjured that rapier-like motion of his foot – and as the net bulged on behest of him, he might have forgiven to think that he struck gold. “No Marco Verratti. No Andrea Pirlo. No problem”, exclaimed La Gazetta.
Cut to now: Manchester United are the latest club, after Chelsea and Manchester City to express interest in Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci, with reports claiming that the 29-year-old’s name was brought up in negotiations over Paul Pogba.
With that one swift swish of his Nikes, Bonucci added potentially millions more to Juventus’ coffers and his own payroll. A native from the small town of Viterbo, he has enjoyed an outstanding few years, growing in stature with every season at Juventus since joining the club in 2010. Now, five Serie A titles later, at the age of 29, Bonucci is finally starting to get due credit and adulation – making the biggest moneybags in football fall over themselves with sing-songs of promised of riches, epics of past and future glory and strumming mandolins, as Bonucci, pricey and gushing looks down from his balcony, batting eyelids, and blowing kisses. Juventus chairman, playing the cast of the overseeing guardian, Andrea Agnelli is seen rubbing his hands in glee. £50m is no mean settlement.
GENOA, ITALY – NOVEMBER 01: Antonio Cassano (L) of UC Sampdoria is tackled by Leonardo Bonucci of AS Bari during the Serie A match between UC Sampdoria and AS Bari at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on November 1, 2009 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Massimo Cebrelli/Getty Images)
Bonucci showed size, athleticism and a ton of technical ability from a very young age, which is why Inter snapped him up at the age of 18 – and most importantly, determination, to overcome his early stutters which saw him shipped to Treviso, Pisa and Bari before Juventus came trodding in like knight in shining armour. By 22, he was a starter in Serie A and, a year later, became a regular at Juventus. While you can talk endlessly about his professionalism and hard work, he’s above all a superbly gifted athlete, who quickly added game intelligence to their repertoire to get him where he is at this juncture – as Europe’s most sought-after defender.
Italy’s Deficiencies in Euros Highlighted Bonucci’s Qualities
Historically, Italy were dependent on a clinical striker, a creative No. 10 or a commanding central midfield passer. Not this time around. In a squad desperately short of attacking quality, Italy’s best distributor was their deepest outfield player: centre-back Leonardo Bonucci.
BORDEAUX, FRANCE – JULY 02: Leonardo Bonucci (C) of Italy celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with his team mateMattia De Sciglio (L) and a ball boy during the UEFA EURO 2016 quarter final match between Germany and Italy at Stade Matmut Atlantique on July 2, 2016 in Bordeaux, France. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
In the absence of midfielder Marco Verratti, Bonucci is the closest thing Italy had to a Pirlo. He might play in a completely different position, but he’s capable of playing huge, expansive diagonal passes towards the flanks, prompting quick counter-attacks and releasing the centre-forwards in the channels. Defensively he’s an extremely solid performer, playing between Juventus teammates Giorgio Chiellini Andrea Barzagli in the tournament’s best defensive unit. His attacking qualities, however, are what makes him Italy’s key player.
This has not been a tournament where defences have held sway, most teams have definite defensive weaknesses, aside from, it seems, the Italians. Antonio Conte’s three-man central defensive line was fearsome, exclusively using players he worked with at Juventus – Andrea Barzagli, Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, with the other option being West Ham’s Angelo Ogbonna, himself once of Juve.
Bonucci, the middle defender of the three, was outstanding, and especially in taming two players of immense physical power and talent in Romelu Lukaku of Belgium and Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimović. In Toulouse, Ibrahimović, tetchy after receiving the physical attentions of Bonucci, started dropping deeper and deeper, at one point playing a crossfield pass from the left-back position.
Bonucci is a defender who fills all the classic Italian traditions. With him at the centre, Italy’s defence had been markedly the best at the tournament, a rigorously drilled unit that soaks up the pressure with maximum security.
ROME, ITALY – MAY 21: Leonardo Bonucci of Juventus FC celebrates the victory after the TIM Cup match between AC Milan and Juventus FC at Stadio Olimpico on May 21, 2016 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)
Leonardo Bonucci’s agent was in England to discuss a move to Manchester City, and since, talks with the Sky Blues seem to have accelerated. But while this new romance with Pep Guardiola may appeal, there remains the small matter of old flame Antonio Conte and the mercurial, Jose Mourinho.
A new defender is high on Pep Guardiola’s list of priorities this summer and the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager labelled Bonucci “one of my favourite ever players” following a Champions League tie against Juventus in February. The presence of Antonio Conte at Chelsea was be seen as giving the Blues an edge in the deal, and Manchester United’s profile and ambition under Jose Mourinho is for all to see. Though it’s worth remembering that Bonucci will likely be picky as he leaves a club that have won their domestic league for five years running, and clubs that finished 10th and 5th respectively won’t be the most appealing.
Then again, if it were all about dining with European aristocrats, Manchester City would surely be the obvious move than having to go through the trials of winning the right to play in Europe, that the move with Chelsea or Manchester United will entail.
If we were a punter?
Conte may be spurned as his beloved may ride into the sunset with another. Jose Mourinho’s aura has been compromised with his failings at Real Madrid and his floundering last season at Chelsea. The dopamine-peaking lures and sapiosexual thrills of a fling with infallible Pep may be too much for Leonardo Bonucci to ignore.
Manchester’s new Spanish headcoach Pep Guardiola attends a training session of Manchester City at the training ground of the German first division football team FC Bayern Munich in Munich, southern Germany, on July 21, 2016. / AFP / CHRISTOF STACHE (Photo credit should read CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP/Getty Images)