Columbian international player, Juan Cuadrado has revealed that he hesitated to sign a new contract with the Italian giant late last year when his contract expired. He explained that he wanted to return to Columbia before he eventually signed another two-year contract with Juventus which will extend his stay in the club till summer 2022.
Expectedly, his new contract will keep him in Turin until he is 34-year-old. The attacking midfielder, however, revealed that he is happy to have ended the uncertainty surrounding his career by signing a contract with the Italian giant club. Though his return to Columbia would have been characterized by a big homecoming party having begun his professional career in Independiente Medellin from 2002 to 2008, the Juventus man still wants to be in the helm of football affairs in Europe where he is sure to win more trophies.
In an interview with ESPN, Juan Cuadrado said: “I thought about going back to Independiente de Medellin. But maybe it will happen later.
“Since I talked to the [Colombia] coach [Carlos Queiroz], I have always felt confident. He told me where he would use me, and I always give my best regardless of my position.
“Everyone knows my characteristics, him too. I’m willing to do what he asks of me, I will always do what’s best for my country.”
Meanwhile, his extended stay in Juventus has caused him to be placed in self-isolation after two of his teammates were tested positive for the novel COVID-19. Two Juventus players, Blaise Matuidi and Rugani Daniele were both tested positive for the deadly pandemic which is currently taking the entire world by storm. While speaking about the effect of the outbreak on the team, Cuadrado said: “We are calm, because our team-mates Rugani and Matuidi are much better and we follow the indications of the government.”
“I don’t want people to take this situation lightly. Here in Italy, it’s quite difficult.
He, however, urged people to adhere strictly to the health procedures given by the authorities he said, “We must pay attention to what the authorities and our president said. It is four our sakes, people don’t believe it, but cases have increased with time, we must take the necessary measures to make sure that there are fewer cases in Colombia than there are here in Italy.”
