De Ligt on Juventus: ‘Chiellini helped me in every way’ as defender recalls daunting start

De Ligt on Juventus: ‘Chiellini helped me in every way’ as defender recalls daunting start Matthijs de Ligt has looked back on his time at Juventus as a defining chapter in his career, crediting Giorgio Chiellini with helping him settle into one of European football’s most demanding dressing rooms. The Netherlands defender, now at Manchester United, joined the Bianconeri from Ajax in 2019 as one of the most coveted young centre-backs in the game, spending three seasons in Turin. Speaking to Manchester United’s media , he reflected on the culture shock of arriving among a squad of serial winners, and the veteran captain who eased his path. “Chiellini was really very helpful to me at the start,” De Ligt said. “When I arrived at Juventus he tried in every way to help me settle in and become the best player possible.” The adjustment, he admitted, was anything but straightforward. “It was difficult at the start because you walk into a dressing room where these players have won everything,” he explained. “But it’s important to stay yourself and show yourself for who you are. At a certain point I understood that they were normal people and that we were there for the same goal. What did I learn in Italy? A lot, in every league I learned something.” TURIN, ITALY – AUGUST 14: Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus looks on during the pre-season friendly match between Juventus and Atalanta BC at Allianz Stadium on August 14, 2021 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images) De Ligt on sharing a dressing room with a childhood idol at Juventus His spell in Turin also brought a full-circle moment, reuniting De Ligt with the player he had idolised as a boy: Cristiano Ronaldo, his team-mate at Juventus. “I think I was about 7 or 8 when Manchester United won the Champions League,” he recalled. “At that time he was, obviously, one of the most important players in the world. He had this style that everyone wanted to copy. So yes, he was probably one of my first idols.” He has since shared a pitch with another early reference point, former Ajax man Christian Eriksen. “In the youth teams I also played in midfield and he played exactly in my position,” De Ligt said. “So at that time he was really the example of one of the players I admired most.” He added: “It’s curious that in the end I really did play with him, just as with Cristiano. He was one of my biggest idols when I was younger.”