How Allegri outmanoeuvred ‘free-kick dictator’ Ronaldo to give Pjanic his chance

Miralem Pjanic has revealed how Massimiliano Allegri created an opportunity for him to take a free-kick ahead of his Juventus team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, who had insisted on taking set pieces.

The incident took place in March 2019, when Juventus beat Napoli 2-1 in Serie A. Juventus were awarded a free-kick from an ideal position after Ronaldo was brought down by Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret, who was shown a red card.

According to Pjanic, Allegri noticed Ronaldo lying on the pitch and holding his knee. The Juventus manager then called for the medical team, allowing Ronaldo to leave the field temporarily and giving Pjanic the chance to take the free-kick.

“The distance was perfect for me,” Pjanic told La Gazzetta dello Sport, in comments reported by the newspaper.

The midfielder took the opportunity and scored, while Ronaldo returned to the pitch before Pjanic was sent off after the interval.

Pjanic looked back on the episode with humour, saying: “That was the only way to get the ball back. Thank you, Max.”

Pjanic was regarded as one of Serie A’s leading free-kick specialists during his time in Italy, alongside Argentine forward Paulo Dybala.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, had relied heavily on free-kicks throughout his career. However, his record from dead-ball situations during his time with Juventus was far less impressive: he scored only one goal from 98 free-kicks taken for the Italian club.