AC Milan forward, Gonzalo Higuain has said Juventus “kicked” him out after they signed Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer, but the Argentina international has no ill feelings for the Bianconeri.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) the former Napoli and Real Madrid man said he felt the relationship broke down before the Italian champions even landed Ronaldo:
“From the day of the Coppa Italia final I had an idea that something had broken.
“And then they took Ronaldo. The decision to leave wasn’t mine, I gave everything for Juventus and won a lot of trophies.
“Then Cristiano arrived and the club wanted to make a leap in quality, and they told me I couldn’t stay, and that they were trying to find a solution. The best solution was Milan.”
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When asked if he wanted revenge on the Bianconeri, he said: “No, not at all. I only feel affection because they treated me very well. My teammates and the fans treated me really well, but I never asked to leave. Basically, as everyone says, they kicked me out.”
Higuain became Juventus’ record signing when he joined from Napoli in 2016 and gave the club a steady stream of goals for two seasons. His departure became inevitable once Ronaldo arrived, however, as Juventus needed to move players on to balance the books.
Per Football Italia, he joined Milan on loan with a €36 million option to make the deal permanent. That deal, and the transfer of Mattia Caldara, also saw Juventus bring back Leonardo Bonucci.