Juventus put in a fine performance as they ran out 2-0 winners against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
Several stars rose to the occasion in Turin, with Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie getting on the scoresheet, as City were unable to reply.
Although the Italian giants’ efficient attacking play was praised by many, their goalkeeper kept the likes of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne at bay.
Several world-class shot-stoppers have been Juve’s number one in the past, including Gianluigi Buffon and Wojciech Szczęsny – Michele Di Gregorio is Thiago Motta’s go-to goalie currently.
Di Gregorio, 27, has had to make his name the hard way.
He came through the ranks at Inter and was loaned four times – to Renate, Novara, Pordenone and Monza – before he penned a permanent deal at Monza in the summer of 2022.
The ‘keeper impressed in Northern Italy, which secured him a loan move to the nation’s most successful club, Juventus.
The ‘Old Lady’ are likely to purchase the player permanently as they have an obligation to buy this summer – with the fee expected to be around €18.5m plus add-ons (£15.4m), according to Calcio Mercato.
However, things could have been different.
The player’s agent, Carlo Alberto Belloni, revealed how he said “no” to Liverpool last summer.
“[Laughs] Surely Manchester City fans will remember his saves for a long time,” he told Italian outlet Tuttosport.
“In the summer, however, we said no to Liverpool to marry the Juventus project.”
“I’m really happy that Michele has demonstrated all his value at international level too,” Belloni added.
“Some matches are special and his performance against Manchester City is one to remember.
“If I think back to when he played in Serie C, I get emotional. He earned everything with talent and hard work: I’m proud of him.”
This season, the Italian goalkeeper has registered nine clean sheets, having conceded just ten goals in 15 appearances. However, if he did join the Reds he would’ve been in for some tough competition from first-choice goalie Alisson and back-up Caoimhin Kelleher.
