Douglas Costa picks the strongest between Barzagli, Bonucci & Chiellini
· Yahoo Sports
Former Juventus winger Douglas Costa revealed who he believes was the best defender between Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, and Giorgio Chiellini.
The Brazilian joined the Bianconeri in 2017, and remained at the club until 2020, when he made his return to Bayern Munich on loan before sealing a permanent switch to LA Galaxy.
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The 35-year-old has recently made his return to Italian football through the gates of Serie D club Chievo Verona. He is now expected to join their sister club, Al-Ittifaq, a Dubai-based side that also hosts Mario Balotelli.
Douglas Costa cherishes his Juventus spell
During his time in Turin, Costa won three Scudetto titles and a Coppa Italia trophy. So while he had his highs and lows at the club, he still looks back fondly at his Juventus stint.
“Those were three wonderful years. I learned a lot at Juve because I was coming from a different style of football, German football, which was much more direct and attacking,” said the winger in his interview with FanPage via TuttoJuve.
“In Italy, however, you have to understand defence, timing, and game management. With Allegri, at first, I had to wait and learn.
“After four or five months, I was ready. During that time, I went to the World Cup with Brazil, I played in the Champions League to win it… my life changed there.”
Costa explains why Barzagli was the strongest member of the BBC
Costa was also asked to choose the best defender from Juve’s legendary trio. While many consider Chiellini the toughest, and Bonucci the most skilful, the Brazilian believes Barzagli was the strongest of the bunch, describing him as the complete package.
“I already knew them, because I’d faced them in the Champions League (before joining Juventus), so they weren’t a surprise. For me, Barzagli was the best.
“Chiellini was impressive defensively. Bonucci was technically incredible, almost like an attacking midfielder when he was building play.
“But Barzagli had it all. He was big, strong, fast, and intelligent. And I found him at 36 or 37. Imagine when he was younger. In my opinion, he might not have had the reputation of the other two, but for those on the pitch, he was a complete defender.”
Barzagli joined Juventus in 2011 and remained at the club until he retired from the sport in 2019. He won eight Scudetto titles, four Coppa Italia trophies, and as many Italian Super Cups.