Ex-Italy defender and EURO 2024 winner Leonardo Bonucci recently shared who the most challenging striker he ever faced was, ignoring greats like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. The 37-year-old disclosed that Colombian striker Duvan Zapata was the one who caused him the most trouble on the field.
Bonucci is widely considered one of the top centre-backs of his era. The Italian, who announced his retirement in May, competed at the highest level for both club and country, facing some of the greatest forwards in football. He revealed that Zapata was the striker who caused him sleepless nights and not Messi or Ronaldo due to his strength and physicality. Bonucci admitted that facing Zapata’s Atalanta side was a constant challenge for him.
"My nightmare, who didn’t make me sleep at night, was Zapata. God, before games against his Atalanta side, I couldn’t sleep at night. His power and physicality made him my nightmare," the Italian told Sky Calcio Club.
Zapata, now playing for Torino, has enjoyed a long career in Serie A. The Colombian international has played for clubs such as Napoli, Udinese, Sampdoria and Atalanta, frequently going up against Bonucci. However, it was during his time at Atalanta that he truly established himself as one of Serie A's leading strikers.
Messi faced Bonnuci during his time with Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League, whereas Bonucci was a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus.
CR7's arrival at Juventus was intended to strengthen an already solid team and help them win the Champions League, but the goal was not achieved. Bonucci noted that unusual dynamics emerged within the team after Ronaldo joined.
"Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Juve was aimed at improving an already strong team, The goal was to win the Champions League, but it wasn’t achieved. In the year CR7 arrived, strange dynamics ensued," Bonucci further added.