Sassuolo’s young defender Tarik Muharemovic spoke at length about his years at Juventus, sharing personal memories and behind-the-scenes stories from his time in Turin.
Among the revelations in Serie A this season, Muharemovic stands out as one of the players making the biggest impact. The 21-year-old Bosnian centre-back, now a key figure for Sassuolo, previously spent three years with Juventus. Between 2021 and 2024, he made over 50 appearances for the Bianconeri’s Next Gen side, though he never debuted with the first team. Today, he’s attracting attention from several major Italian clubs—and Juventus are reportedly keeping tabs on him too.
The Move to Juventus
“Back then I was playing for Wolfsberger,” Muharemovic recalled. “I made my debut with the first team against Salzburg, and the next day I was called up for the Under-19 national team for matches against Croatia and Saudi Arabia. Juventus scouts had actually come to watch a Croatian player, but after the game my dad called me and said: ‘Look, Juventus want you.’ From that moment on, I didn’t want to hear any other offers, even though there were a few.”
The Ronaldo Anecdote
“The first day? I don’t really remember,” he said with a smile. “But I do remember that three days after I signed, Cristiano Ronaldo left the club, and three days after that, I trained with the first team. My friends told me: ‘Maybe he was scared of you,’ just to cheer me up.”
“Bonucci Protected Me”
“Never would I have imagined that Bonucci, who didn’t even know who I was, would stop to talk to me the first time we met,” Muharemovic explained. “Leo gave me so much advice—on how to defend better, how to use my body… Chiellini did the same; he was always smiling. I’m like him in how I celebrate after saving a goal. From Bonucci, I’d love to have his personality, that aura he carried with him that made me think: today Bonucci is protecting me.”
“Yildiz? Never Seen Anyone Like Him”
“Yildiz is a friend,” Muharemovic added. “He has something different from everyone else. When he gets the ball, he transforms. And his dribbling—he bends his knees so much, uses his muscles and technique perfectly. I’ve never seen anyone like him. I remember our first training session: a 6-vs-6 match, and I was marking him. I couldn’t get near him once. I thought: let’s hope from now on we’ll always play on the same team. I’ve already told him that I can’t wait to face him in Serie A to see if this time I’ll be able to stop him.”
