Andrea Pirlo's former assistant claims he didn’t want Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus; preferred Alvaro Morata

Ronaldo joined the Serie A giants back in 2018.

According to his assistant manager, Andrea Pirlo “did not like Cristiano Ronaldo” while he was Juventus’ coach. “He didn’t want Ronaldo, but there was nothing he could do about it.”

The midfielder, who won the 2006 World Cup, retired from playing in 2018 and embarked on his first managerial position at Juventus in 2020, two years later.

Pirlo’s assistant manager reveals why they didn’t want Ronaldo at Juventus

Pirlo won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana during his one season there, but he was let go at the end of the season.

“We analysed the data, which showed that Cristiano Ronaldo was the worst at sprints and the high press,” Alparslan Erdem told the Bild podcast, via Corriere dello Sport.

“Pirlo didn’t want Ronaldo in his team, but he couldn’t do anything about it, because this was Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Erdem, who served as his assistant boss at Karagumruk the next year, attested to the fact that it was not a totally joyful experience.

“Pirlo much preferred Alvaro Morata, who was perfectly suited to his 4-4-2 tactics. The system just didn’t work with Ronaldo or Paulo Dybala, but there wasn’t anything he could do about that.”

His assistant coach claims that Ronaldo wasn’t the only one Pirlo was forced to play with. Pirlo is currently the coach of United FC in the United Arab Emirates after a brief stint at Sampdoria.

Meanwhile, Erdem has since managed FK Rabotnichki after leaving Pirlo’s shadow and worked there as an assistant coach before becoming their main manager. He was subsequently appointed the manager of KF Shkupi.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.