Rodrigo Bentancur Reveals Why He 'Panicked' About Juventus Move & Recalls First Meeting With Ronaldo

Rodrigo Bentancur has opened up about the nerves he experienced before joining Juventus from Boca Juniors back in July 2017, claiming that he 'panicked' at the

Rodrigo Bentancur has opened up about the nerves he experienced before joining Juventus from Boca Juniors back in July 2017, claiming that he 'panicked' at the thought of having to leave his family for a move to Turin.

Bentancur's move to Juventus was sealed back in July 2015 when Boca included first refusal on the midfielder in a deal that saw Carlos Tevez head back to La Bombonera.

The Uruguayan midfielder spoke to DAZN (as quoted by Football Italia) about his move to the Bianconeri revealing: “When they told me about the possibility of coming to Juventus I panicked.

Gabriel Rossi/GettyImages

“I was very happy, but also very scared. I thought: ‘now I have to go to Italy, with only my father, leave my family, learn Italian… how am I going to do it?'

“In the end I was very happy, but also a bit scared.

“From the first time I entered the Juventus dressing room and saw the faces of my teammates I understood one thing: you win here, and that’s it,” Bentancur recalled.

ADRIAN DENNIS/GettyImages

When it comes to teammates, they don't come much bigger than Cristiano Ronaldo. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner joined Juve in July 2018. 

Prior to playing together in Turin, the pair met for the first time at this summer's World Cup finals after the round of 16 clash between Uruguay and Portugal.

Bentancur revealed: “We met in the anti-doping centre after Portugal vs Uruguay. He recognised me - or so he said - and he called me by name. I couldn’t believe it.

“Then the first time I saw him train here in Turin I thought: ‘he’s an animal!’. The way he trains is exceptional, he always gives 100 per cent."

Alessandro Sabattini/GettyImages

Bentancur has made 13 appearances for The Old Lady this season in Serie A, managing to grab two goals in the process and help Juventus maintain an unbeaten start to their league campaign.