Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt admitted that he had a lot of respect for senior players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, when he first arrived

 

 

in Turin.The 22-year-old center-back joined Ajax from Juve in 2019 after an incredible run from Amsterdam to the semi-finals of the Champions League

 

 

.De Ligt was a very influential member of the team but initially struggled to perform for the Old Lady.The Dutchman now feels that he had great respect for former teammate Ronaldo and club icon Gianluigi Buffon before leaving for Manchester United and Parma,

 

 

respectively.Speaking to CBS Sport, the Dutch international said. In the beginning, it was quite difficult. I’m a really respectable person,

 

 

sometimes I have a lot of respect for them.After all, we are all in the same team, you have to challenge each other to get better. But at times, you learn from other players and become good friends.