Pjanic reveals Juventus ‘tricked’ Cristiano Ronaldo into leaving crucial free kick

Miralem Pjanic revealed an extraordinary ‘trick’ Max Allegri played at Juventus to prevent Cristiano Ronaldo taking a decisive free kick. ‘It was the only way I could get the ball!’

The debate rages on in Portugal after Cristiano Ronaldo stormed out of their Nations League training camp in a row with coach Jorge Jesus, but keeping this ego in check has long been a problem for tacticians.

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Some took slightly more subtle approaches to nudging him aside in order to make room for others, as revealed by former teammate Pjanic during the Festival dello Sport panel in Trento.

Pjanic and Allegri tricked Cristiano Ronaldo

TURIN, ITALY – AUGUST 07: Juventus players talk amongst themselves during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Juventus and Olympique Lyon at Allianz Stadium on August 07, 2020 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

“I do have an anecdote about this,” revealed Pjanic.

“We were playing at Napoli, I scored with a free kick, strangely with Cristiano Ronaldo in the team.”

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When asked if CR7 was distracted and didn’t notice, the Bosnian confessed to some help from the touchline in the March 2019 match.

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo (R) talks to Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny prior to Rome shooting a penalty kick during the Italian Serie A football match AS Roma vs Juventus on January 12, 2020 at the Olympic stadium in Rome. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP) (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)

“Cristiano Ronaldo won the free kick, I think Meret got sent off for it. Max Allegri saw Cris on the ground touching his knee and immediately sent the physios on for treatment.

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“This is because the free kick was so enticing, he got Cristiano off and let me take the free kick. And I scored from it! This was the only way I could get the ball, so thank you, Max!”

NAPLES, ITALY – MARCH 03: Miralem Pjanic of Juventus scores the 0-1 goal during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Juventus at Stadio San Paolo on March 3, 2019 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

The statistics show this is no idle boast from Pjanic, who was along with another teammate Paulo Dybala one of the most consistent players in Serie A from set plays.

On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo took 98 Serie A free kicks in the Juventus jersey, and he scored from just one.

Pjanic on Allegri’s trick to prevent CR7 from taking free kicks ❌🎯🎙️ Della Valle – Morici#gazzetta #ilfestivaldellosport https://t.co/StO4IaOn55