Giorgio Chiellini has drastically softened his stance on Cristiano Ronaldo after previously claiming the Manchester United superstar demands "a team that would play for him".
The Italy captain, 37, spent three seasons as Ronaldo's teammate at Juventus between 2018 and 2021, winning two Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia together.
The Portuguese striker scored 101 goals for the Bianconeri after his arrival from Real Madrid in a £99million transfer, so his spell in Turin is viewed in a positive light.
However, Chiellini made some striking claims about his former colleague in October 2021, two months after Ronaldo sealed an astonishing return to Old Trafford.
The veteran defender appeared to claim Ronaldo needs the team to revolve around him while suggesting he did not fit in with Juve's "process of renewal".
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"I had already figured out he could leave this summer, because we reached a stage of the working relationship where Cristiano needed new motivation and a team that would play for him," Chiellini told DAZN.
"When he finds a team like that, he can always be decisive, as he was at Juve too.
"Juventus are beginning a process of renewal and trying to bring the average age down, so clearly he would've been an added bonus if he'd stayed, but it's fair he wanted a team more focused on the present than the future."
Further, Chiellini claimed it "would've been better if he had gone earlier" with regards to Ronaldo's transfer to United, admitting his exit late in the transfer window left Juve with inadequate time to adapt early on in the season.
However, the centre-back seems to have backtracked on his suggestion Ronaldo needed "a team that would play for him" by declaring he is merely "a single player" that, like any other footballer, requires the "support" of those around him.
Chiellini also hailed the five-time Ballon d'Or winner for having supernatural ability which he shares with Paris Saint-Germain superstar and long-time rival Lionel Messi.
"Cristiano and Messi are aliens. Not from the herd," Chiellini told The Times. "I was lucky enough to play with Cristiano at Juventus for three years and seeing him day by day, you understand some of his secrets.
"He works every day to achieve his goals, and finds new goals all the time. In the big moments, when you need him, he is there.
"In the end, he's just a single player. If Cristiano is in a team that supports him and plays better than the other, you can be sure he'll get the goal."
