Rabiot: Buffon and lure of playing alongside Ronaldo convinced me to join Juve

Adrien Rabiot has revealed that Gianluigi Buffon and the lure of playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo convinced him to join Juventus.

“We have had several contacts with Juve in the past, but it was a different time in my life, a different period for me,” explained the 24-year-old.

“Now was the right time for me to come here, and that’s why I’m here. I have to tell you that in the past season I talked a lot to Gigi.

“We had the opportunity to talk and he gave me lots of suggestions and advice. Of course, we talked a lot about Juventus, he knows the team and club very well.

“Obviously he was the best person I could talk to about this. His opinion matters a lot to me because Gigi is a person I had a great season with, also from a personal point of view as he is a friend of mine, so certainly he played a role too.

“He told me lots of interesting things about Juventus, that if I wanted to make further progress in my career, they would be the best way to achieve that.

“Certainly, they have a great added value compared to other clubs, so I took this advice very seriously.

“I often listened to him because he offered great advice. He made me think [about Juve] carefully and was persuasive.

“I spent seven years in Paris as a professional, so this is the first time I decided to play in a different League.

“My determination is always the same so now I’m going to play in Serie A with Juve, although nothing will change.

“I’ll always do my best and I’ll be as determined and committed as before. I’ll work hard to help the club and so we can move forward together.

“I haven’t met Sarri yet or had the opportunity to talk to him yet, but the people I’ve met so far at Juve have left a very positive impression, so I think his figure as a Coach definitely corresponds to the image and reputation of this team.

“Obviously I’ll be more than willing to listen to him and I’m absolutely sure that the club have made a great decision for the future of the team.

“As for my favourite position, you know it very well. I like to play as the left-central midfielder. Clearly, I’ve always played in a three but I can also play in a two.

“Again, as I said before, I’m very versatile and I can adapt to the team’s needs, but that’s my favourite position. As for my shirt number, it’ll be No 25.

“I have to say that I certainly have the opportunity to grow a lot by playing with top players.”

The Frenchman was then asked about the prospect of having Ronaldo as a teammate.

“Certainly Ronaldo is a great champion, as are many others, so obviously that played a role in my decision.

“I was aware of the fact that they were a great club. The atmosphere in the dressing room is very positive because all the players here are professionals and get on with each other.”