The former defender confesses: the biggest regret of his career was leaving the Bianconeri in 2018, ignoring the advice of an idol like the current manager Chiellini.
In an interview on the “Centrocampo” podcast, the former defender, who retired a few months ago, retraced a crucial moment in his career, revealing what he considers his biggest mistake: the decision to leave Juventus in the summer of 2018. A choice which, in his opinion, was influenced by haste and by not having listened to the precious advice of a leader like Giorgio Chiellini.
The unheeded advice
The fulcrum of Caldara’s remorse is linked to a dialogue with Giorgio Chiellini. As soon as he returned to the Bianconeri after his experience in Bergamo, Caldara received an invitation from the then captain to be patient: to stay, even without playing continuously, to observe, learn and grow in the shadow of the champions present in the squad. “I was wrong, I was totally wrong. It’s the biggest regret of my life“, Caldara confessed, defining his choice as a lack of character strength.”Not listening to him is as if I had betrayed an idol of mine“, he added, underlining how he should have resisted and seized the opportunity to mature in a winning environment.
The decision to go to Milan
In the summer of 2018, Juventus and Milan orchestrated a swap that saw the return of Leonardo Bonucci to Turin and Caldara’s move to the Rossoneri. Attracted by Milan’s coat of arms and the possibility of finding more space in a rebuilding team, the defender accepted the transfer. “Milan is Milan,” he admitted, acknowledging how the allure of the club weighed on his decision. However, that choice did not bring the desired results, also due to a series of serious injuries that compromised his career, leading him to a premature retirement. Today, that “if” linked to Chiellini’s advice remains his greatest regret, a constant thought on how his footballing history could have taken a different turn.