Giorgio Chiellini admitted he was relieved that Cristiano Ronaldo was playing with him at Juventus. Rivals at a time when the Portuguese played at Real Madrid, the defender revealed that he had his dreams destroyed “many times” by CR7.

In an interview with BBC Sport, the defender of the “Old Lady” recalled the defeats for Ronaldo in different editions of the Champions League: “Cristiano scored many, many and many times against us and destroyed my dreams. Before the Champions League was a dream, now it’s a goal, because Cristiano is the best player in the world and we need him to take the last step. ”

Chiellini took the opportunity to praise the attitude of his team-mate behind the scenes of the club and highlighted that Juventus changed after Ronaldo’s arrival.

“He has fantastic skills on the pitch, but off the pitch, his attitude – how he works, how he prepares for the game, how he lives every day of his life – can help us. The team has changed,” he said.

Cristiano Ronaldo surprised the world of football by exchanging Real Madrid to play for Juventus and, in particular, his new teammate Chiellini. The Italian reached the Turin side in 2015 and has become the club’s idol since then: “I did not believe it at first, but after a few days of rumors, I talked to the president, Andrea Agnelli and I was surprised. I think that, to many fans and also to the players, it was not so normal. ”

At the age 34, the defender does not think about retirement yet but admitted being ready for the end of his professional career. “I do not know how much time I’m going to play, I live day after day and I think only of the next game, I’m very happy, I like to play and train on this team and I am proud of our team. At this age, we can not think too much forward, but I am prepared for the end of my career. ”

Finally, Giorgio Chiellini commented on the favoritism of Juventus in the Champions League 2018-19. In the search for the title, Juve faces Atletico Madrid for the eighth round of the competition. The first duel of the eliminatory phase occurs on February 20, in the Metropolitan Wanda.

“I think we are one of four or five favorite teams with Barcelona, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich, but PSG and Atletico Madrid can also win.”, he added.

This year, however, Chiellini will not need to worry about Cristiano Ronaldo destroying his dreams anymore.