Leonardo Bonucci Takes Legal Action Against Juventus After Feeling ‘Humiliated’
Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci has taken legal action against his former club Juventus after claiming he was left feeling “humiliated”. Bonucci joined Union Berlin for free in August after being frozen out of the Juve squad following a reported fallout with manager Massimiliano Allegri.
In an interview with Sport Mediaset published on Thursday, Bonucci said: “I have decided, after great suffering, to pursue a lawsuit against Juventus. I felt drained of everything, humiliated.”
Bonucci spent 12 years in Turin over two spells and won Serie A eight times with Juventus in addition to helping Italy win Euro 2020. He was left out of Allegri’s squad for the United States pre-season tour and home friendlies prior to the start of the 2023-24 Serie A season.
The 36 year old said: “My rights stipulated that I should have trained with the team regardless of the technical choice and been put in a position to physically be able to play during the following season.”
Bonucci added that he was taking legal action because “the people who were supposed to let me end my career with Juventus in a respectful and worthy way have not done so.”
The experienced defender has had a long and successful career, having played for some of Europe’s top clubs such as AC Milan and Juventus, as well as representing Italy at international level for over a decade, winning Euro 2020 in the process.
Bonucci’s legal action against Juventus is a rare move for a professional footballer and could set a precedent for other players who feel they have been treated unfairly by their clubs in the future.
It remains to be seen how the case will play out, but it is clear that Bonucci feels strongly about the situation and is determined to take action against his former club for what he believes is an injustice against him.
The outcome of the case could have far reaching implications for footballers across Europe and could potentially lead to greater protection for players when it comes to their rights and how they are treated by their clubs.
Whatever the outcome of the case, it is clear that Bonucci’s experience has left him feeling hurt and humiliated and he is determined to take a stand against Juventus in order to ensure that no other player has to go through what he did.