Douglas Costa still has fond memories of his time at Juventus, as he invites Robert Lewandowski to join the Bianconeri.
The well-travelled winger was on Juve’s books between 2016 and 2022, albeit his last appearance for the club dates back to 2020.
The Brazilian has recently made a surprising return to Italian football, signing for Serie D club Chievo Verona, as part of his agreement with Al-Ittifaq, who will join in the summer.
Costa reveals that he remains in contact with several of his former Juventus teammates, and he would cherish the opportunity to return to the Allianz Stadium and greet the fans.
“In recent months, I connected with Leonardo Bonucci and then Alex Sandro, who’s my neighbour in Brazil. I also saw Giorgio Chiellini. Talking about Juve is always nice for me,” said the 35-year-old in his interview with Tuttosport.
“I’ll be back at the Allianz Stadium soon; for now, I watch Juve on TV. I know how difficult it is to play for a club like that: there are complicated moments when you have to stay united.
“The pressure is huge. But Juve will always be Juve. I’m convinced they’ll soon be competing to win again.”
Douglas Costa praises ‘unique’ Cristiano Ronaldo
The former Brazil international played alongside some of the biggest footballers in his generation, but Cristiano Ronaldo was the one who left him in awe.
“Who inspired me the most? Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s a unique professional and also a great person, more than people might imagine.
“But I’ve also played with absolute top-level champions with a similar mentality: Neymar, Paulo Dybala and Franck Ribéry, for example. It was an honour to share a dressing room with players like that.”
The interviewer asked Costa if we would have stood a realistic chance at winning the Ballon d’Or if he hadn’t been impeded by injuries.
“It’s hard to say what career I could have had without injuries, I’ve never thought about it. I’m proud of the path I had.
“I just know I suffered a lot, too much. Sometimes talent isn’t enough if it’s not matched by perfect physical condition: I could have played in three World Cups. That’s my regret.
“At Juve. I won trophies and had my moments, but managing injuries, especially in the last months, was tough. I spent more time at J|Medical than on the pitch. It was hard.”
The tricky winger admitted he almost returned to Juventus for a second spell in 2023, and explained the stylistic differences between Max Allegri and Maurizio Sarri.
“Yes, in 2023. I even spoke with Bonucci, I put myself forward, hoping I could still help. But the club didn’t follow it up. I still feel like a Juventus player inside.
“Sarri was excellent. I really appreciated him: obsessed with possession, with an attacking mentality.
“But I liked Allegri too: that Juve’s counter-attacks, when I was fit, were devastating. We’d tear defences apart, we could hurt teams at any moment.”
Costa identified the two best matches of his career, and they both involved Juventus.
“I’ll mention two: when I was at Bayern Munich against Juve in 2016, the 4–2 in Munich, I had a great game.
“And then the comeback we nearly completed at the Bernabéu in 2018: winning 3–0 in Madrid after losing 3–0 in the first leg doesn’t happen to any team in the world. It was happening to us, before that cursed late penalty scored by Ronaldo.
“We were writing history. We could have won the Champions League; we lacked nothing. But in football, luck can change everything.”
Costa on underrated Khedira and Lewandowski to Juventus
The former Shakhtar Donetsk star identified former Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira as the most underrated teammate of his career.
“The most underrated? Sami Khedira. Extremely strong: a unique style, he was everywhere, with natural class.”
Finally, Costa encouraged his former Bayern Munich teammate Robert Lewandowski to join Juventus if he sees out his contract with Barcelona.
“Robert scores in every possible way. He’d be useful for Juve. I’d recommend he wear the black-and-white shirt without hesitation. He scores everywhere and will keep doing so for many years. He’d be perfect.
“But they already have a great striker in Vlahovic. Dušan can still develop, he’s at the right age: for the race for fourth place, his return to top form will be decisive. He has everything to take Juve back into the Champions League.”
Lewandowski has recently emerged as a target for Juventus, while Vlahovic is currently negotiating a new contract with the hierarchy.
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