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There's Buffon, there's Ronaldo! – De Ligt like a child in candy shop at Juventus

Matthijs de Ligt said he felt "like a child in a candy shop" when he first entered the Juventus dressing room.

By Dejan Kalinic
Ronaldo and De Ligt

Turin, April 14: Matthijs de Ligt said he felt "like a child in a candy shop" when he first entered the Juventus dressing room.

The Netherlands international joined Juve from Ajax for a reported €75million in July last year after starring with the Eredivisie giants.

De Ligt, 20, said he was somewhat starstruck when he first arrived at the Serie A side as he looked around and could call Cristiano Ronaldo and Gianluigi Buffon team-mates.

"Juventus told me also like, 'All right, you're young, but also the reason we want to buy you is because you are already really mature, you know how to handle pressure' and stuff like that," the defender told Foot Truck in an interview alongside another team-mate, Wojciech Szczesny.

"They also said to me it's difficult for a 19-year-old to go to another country and of course it's going to be difficult for you but we have confidence in you that you will find your place soon.

"Obviously when I came into the dressing room the first time I was a little bit like a child in a candy shop, like, 'There's Buffon, there's Ronaldo'."

De Ligt added: "In the beginning you're just a little bit looking like who's that, who's that and stuff like how is he?

"After really two months I felt really like I could be more myself."

De Ligt initially struggled in Turin but had made 27 appearances in all competitions when the season was stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The defender said it was tough to adjust at Juventus, particularly with so much attention on him.

"In the beginning there was already a lot of eyes on me in the games. In the second game I played I made an own goal and then you know there's even more pressure," De Ligt said.

"I knew in the training I was training good, I felt good, but in the games it was still a little bit of adaptation to a new style of play.

"In the beginning it was difficult but I think step by step I improved in that case."

Story first published: Tuesday, April 14, 2020, 8:17 [IST]
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