Leonardo Bonucci's Close Call with Manchester City

Leonardo Bonucci has revealed just how close he came to walking away from Juventus for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City – and how his heart, his family and his club ultimately pulled him back.

The former Italy defender, who retired in 2024 and now works on Roberto Mancini’s staff with the Azzurri ahead of Nations League clashes with Belgium, Turkiye and France, admitted he was “tempted” by Guardiola at the peak of his powers in Turin.

‘Being courted by Guardiola is not like any other experience’

Bonucci’s stock had never been higher. He had become the playmaking centre-back every possession coach dreams of, a defender with the passing range of a No. 10.

“The 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons allowed me to achieve incredible heights in my career,” Bonucci told World Soccer Agency, via Sport Mediaset. “I played in the Champions League Final against Barcelona in 2015, then a year later was at the European Championship, losing to Germany on penalties after I scored past Manuel Neuer. It was the start of my career truly taking off.”

Those years turned him into a cornerstone of a Juventus side that dominated Serie A and reached two Champions League finals. They also put him firmly on Guardiola’s radar.

“For my style of football, the coach who is best suited and most appreciates playing out from the back is Guardiola,” Bonucci said. “So he courted me for many weeks, and let me tell you, being courted by Guardiola is not like any other experience.

“You really do start to wobble, and it was tough taking place during the Euros, where I had to be concentrated, but even during the tournament there were some discussions.”

The Premier League, Manchester City, Guardiola’s football – the pull was obvious. And yet, something kept dragging him back to Turin.

Torn between a dream move and a lifelong bond

Bonucci’s Juventus story began in 2010 and, aside from a single turbulent season at Milan in 2017/18, ran all the way to 2023. Those black-and-white stripes were never just a shirt to him.

“As far as I was concerned, the idea of leaving Juventus made my heart ache,” he admitted. “Some days I’d say to myself, oh wonderful, the Premier League and Guardiola, but then the day after I remembered that I had always dreamed of Juventus.”

Juventus, for their part, were in no hurry to cash in on one of the pillars of their BBC backline with Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli. Massive offers arrived. The club pushed them away.

The timing made everything even more delicate. Away from the pitch, Bonucci’s world had been shaken.

Family crisis changes everything

His son Matteo was diagnosed with a serious illness at just two years old. Suddenly, the idea of uprooting his life for a new league and a new country lost its shine.

“After the Euros, I spoke to Juve,” Bonucci said. “Matteo’s illness and the fact I didn’t feel 100 per cent about leaving Juve, especially as the club told me that I would not be sold even if an incredible offer came in, made it a normal decision to stay.

“Working with Guardiola would’ve allowed me to have even greater experience, technically and tactically.”

The choice became less about tactics and trophies and more about stability, belonging and a promise from the club that had backed him.

So he stayed. He kept winning. He lifted trophies with Juventus and, memorably, the Henri Delaunay Trophy with Italy at Euro 2020, scoring in the final against England at Wembley.

The detour to Milan and a lost focus

The irony is that Bonucci did eventually leave Juventus – not for Manchester City, but for Milan in 2017, after an infamous clash with coach Max Allegri.

“I had lost my focus with what happened in 2017,” he reflected. “I was about to become a pillar of Juventus, that was the path I was meant to be on.”

That Milan spell lasted just one season. He returned to Turin as quickly as he had left, resuming his role at the heart of the defence once Allegri was out of the picture.

The Guardiola move never happened. The Premier League dream remained just that. But Bonucci’s legacy, forged in black and white and gilded in blue with the national team, was shaped by that decision to resist one of the game’s great seducers and stay where his heart – and his family – needed him most.