Cristiano Ronaldo's coach at Juventus, Andrea Pirlo, has again jumped to the player's defence in the aftermath of him leaving Manchester United.
Pirlo, 43, coached Ronaldo during his third and final full season in Italy before both left Turin. The coach was sacked midway through a two-year contract just five days after the end of the Serie A season, while Ronaldo would go on to return to United during the summer transfer window.
Some 18 months on, Pirlo still doesn't have a bad word to say about his former player.
READ MORE: Ronaldo finally keeps promise at Al-Nassr after leaving United
“For me, it was easy to work with him,” he told the Daily Mail. “He was a good guy, very professional. He wanted to play every game, to score every game. We didn't have a problem but football changes very quickly. Age also.”
He added, hinting at Ronaldo's second spell at Old Trafford: “'Maybe he had a problem with another team, but for me, it was a good experience.”
Pirlo also spoke about the situation around the time of Ronaldo's interview with Piers Morgan and similarly sided with his former player. “I think Ronaldo had been waiting for a long time to give that interview. He’d prepared everything beforehand,” Pirlo told Diretta.it days after Ronaldo left United last November.
“Ronaldo has always had pressure on him and always will; that’s not an issue for him. I don’t think it put pressure on the Portugal squad either because even if he hadn’t given that interview, the media still would’ve asked him questions about Manchester United during the World Cup.
“I think this is why he decided to get it out of the way, like pulling out a tooth that is wobbly, and now he’ll be even more fired up than before.”
Win a pair of tickets to the Premier League or Women's Super League match of your choosing! Enter below. CLICK HERE
READ NEXT:
