Legendary Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has become the latest player to criticise Cristiano Ronaldo's influence during his time in Turin.
The shot-stopper joins veteran defensive duo Giorgio Chiellini and Leandro Bonucci in voicing harsh words about the negative impact the 36-year-old supposedly had at the club.
While their stranglehold of the Italian top-flight continued until Ronaldo's final season — when Inter claimed their first Scudetto in a decade — Juve's quest for European glory evaded them as they disappointed in the Champions League.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner called time on his three-year stint in Turin in the summer, sealing as sensational return to the Premier League and Manchester United.
Despite the criticism, Ronaldo scored 101 goals in 134 games, winning the Serie A golden boot as well as finishing as Juventus' top goalscorer for 2021 — despite having left five months before the end of the year.
In light of his exit, it has been a rocky adjustment for Massimiliano Allegri's side as the Old Lady sit 12 points off the pace in Serie A this season.
Buffon, who returned to his former club Parma in the summer, wasn't with Ronaldo for his first season in Italy when they suffered disappointment in Europe as they were knocked out by Ajax.
However, he felt that the successful philosophy of the Bianconeri went missing with the Portugal captain at the club.
"Juventus had the chance to win the Champions League the first year he arrived, which was the year I was at Paris Saint-Germain, and I couldn't figure out what happened," he told TUDN.com.
"When I returned, I worked with CR7 for two years and we did well together, but I think Juventus lost that DNA of being a team.
"We reached the Champions League final in 2017 because we were a side full of experience, but above all we were a single unit and there was this competition for places within the group that was very strong. We lost that with Ronaldo."
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