Football: Juventus lost their DNA after Ronaldo's arrival, says Buffon
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Juventus players celebrate winning the Italian Serie A soccer match at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy on Dec 21, 2021.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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(REUTERS) - Juventus great Gianluigi Buffon said Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival at the club in 2018 ultimately led to them losing their "DNA of being a team".
Ronaldo, now back at Manchester United for a second spell, scored 101 goals in 135 appearances for Juventus and won Serie A twice but the club did not progress beyond the Champions League quarter-finals during his three years there.
Buffon returned to his first club Parma, now in Serie B, in June after nearly two decades at Juventus - he spent the 2018-19 season at Paris St-Germain.
"Juventus had the chance to win the Champions League the first year he arrived, which was the year I was at Paris St-Germain, and I couldn't figure out what happened," the 43-year-old, who won the World Cup with Italy in 2006, told American broadcast network TUDN.
"When I returned, I worked with Ronaldo for two years and we did well together, but I think Juventus lost that DNA of being a team.
"We reached the Champions League final in 2017 because we were a side full of experience, but above all we were a single unit and there was this competition for places within the group that was very strong. We lost that with Ronaldo."
Juventus, with whom Buffon won 10 Serie A titles, are fifth in the standings, 12 points adrift of leaders Inter Milan, and host third-placed Napoli on Jan 6.
