Now 37 and retired, Bonucci reflected on his illustrious career, which included battles against many footballing greats, including both Ronaldo—his teammate during a three-year stint at Juventus—and Messi.

Ex-Juventus and Italy centre-half Leonardo Bonucci has singled out one unexpected Serie A striker as the star he least liked to face during his playing career

"God, before games against his Atalanta side, I couldn’t sleep at night. His power and physicality made him my nightmare. Then, I was lucky enough to play against so many champions. [Didier] Drogba, Ronaldo, Messi, [Fernando] Torres, and I forget others, but it was too good."

Former Juventus and Milan defender Leonardo Bonucci was ‘lucky’ to face great champions in his career, including Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but his ‘nightmare’ was Duvan Zapata.Bonucci

Leonardo Bonucci had a surprising response when revealing which player was his toughest opponent, not mentioning Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Leonardo Bonucci, the former Juventus and Milan defender,

Leonardo Bonucci is regarded as one of the finest centre-backs of his generation. The Italian, who declared his retirement in May, played at the elite level for both his club and national team, encountering some of the most formidable forwards in the sport.