Giorgio Chiellini, the captain of Juventus, has compared his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo to tennis legend Roger Federer and Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt.
Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Juventus from Real Madrid in 2018. He has won four Champions League titles with Real Madrid and one with Manchester United.
Federer has won 20 Grand Slam titles and holds the record for most number of Grand Slams. Bolt boasts having several records in the field of track and field events.
The Swiss tennis ace and Bolt are deemed exceptional in their respective fields. Chiellini says their urge to go the extra mile is why he has compared the Portuguese forward to Federer and Bolt.
"Ronaldo? You become a leader. I'm a curious person, I'm a good observer and I like to learn. Having near Ronaldo me, for example, is interesting," Chiellini told La Stampa.
"He's like Bolt and Federer: knowing the habits of those who have an extra gear helps. It's not to imitate him but rather to broaden my horizons."
Gianluigi Buffon left Juventus for Paris Saint Germain and Chiellini has been given the arm band at Juventus. The defender says the responsibility of replacing Buffon is not an easy task for him.
"Replacing Gigi isn't easy at all. As captain you don't have to do other people's jobs," said Chiellini.
"You have to maintain balance, and in a multicultural dressing room with different backgrounds, habits and religions it's not always easy. But sharing them is beautiful."
Chiellini said he is not tired of winning trophies with Juventus because it is a relief to win a game and silverware.
"Lloris, the France goalkeeper, said he had a few difficult months after the World Cup because he couldn't find new motivation," added the 34-year-old.
"I think that was the case with the Italy team. I saw the Juventus players who won in 2006 and they came back dazed. At Juve it's different. A victory here is, above all, a relief in that the job is done."
