Matthijs de Ligt has opened up about his challenging journey at Juventus, reflecting on the pressures and difficulties he faced adapting after joining the club as a 19-year-old. Arriving in Turin in 2019 amid high expectations following a stellar breakthrough at Ajax, De Ligt candidly revealed the mental strain and adjustment process during his early years in the Bianconeri squad.
“When you join Juventus for 75 million euros with all those expectations, it’s over: you can’t make mistakes,” De Ligt said in an interview with The Telegraph,. “It’s normal to become more anxious. You’re young, and sometimes it’s difficult because you’re not used to that pressure.” He described how the weight of being a big signing combined with the public’s assumptions created a tough environment.
De Ligt highlighted how his success at Ajax — winning the Golden Boy award, the Kopa Trophy, and making the team of the year — had set expectations that he would continually grow without setbacks. “When you’re 19 and have achieved what I did at Ajax, people think you’ll always keep improving. At that age, you rely on instinct, and for me, that worked well.”
However, once he arrived in Italy, De Ligt realised the need for a different approach. “Then in Italy, I understood I had to think more, and at first, I had many problems.”
During his three seasons at Juventus, where he made 117 appearances, De Ligt experienced a mix of criticism and learning moments but grew into a more composed and thoughtful defender. Since leaving Juventus, he has continued to develop at Bayern Munich and then Manchester United, where he is now a key player despite the club’s recent difficulties.
