Many Juve fans remember the “Bonucci stool” too well. In case you missed it, here’s a little recap.
Juventus met Porto in the round of 16 of the 2017 version of the Champion League.
Although the Bianconeri comfortably shrugged aside their Portuguese opponents, an incident took place prior to the away encounter which eventually had a large effect on the rest of the campaign.
Max Allegri – the Old Lady’s manager at the time – had clashed with Leonardo Bonucci.
Therefore, the number 19 was, to the shock of all Juve fans, nowhere to be seen on the squad list.
It must be noted that the player was at the time largely considered as one of the best center backs in the world.
Once the match began, Leo was seen sitting on a stool beside club directors Pavel Nedved and Guiseppe Marotta, in an image that symbolized his downfall at the club.
Leo Bonucci on the famous picture of him on a stool in the stands during #Porto–#Juventus: "I was on it for about five minutes, but that stool was my downfall!" https://t.co/itSUi5Hiny pic.twitter.com/OzcnadlPjd
— footballitalia (@footballitalia) August 10, 2018
Although he then returned to the squad, the tensions rose again, with many suggesting that a volatile half time talk in the dressing room was behind Juve’s second half collapse against Real Madrid in the Champions League final that year.
Bonucci ended up leaving the club in the summer, before completing a sensational return from Milan just twelve months later.
Even though this episode is in the past, the Bianconeri are set to play Porto once again at the very same stage, and Leo’s luck hasn’t dramatically improved against the Portuguese champions.
According to Tuttosport (via ilBianconero), Bonucci’s position will change from the stool to the bench this time, as Andrea Pirlo intends to rely on Giorgio Chiellini and Matthijs De Ligt once again in the starting lineup.
The 33-year-old suffered from a knock against Roma 10 days ago, and it remains to be seen whether he regained his full fitness.