Italy international Mattia Caldara insists he feels great being part of a "big club" like Juventus.
The 24-year-old centre back joined I Bianconeri from Atalanta in January of last year but remained with his boyhood club on loan until June 30, 2018. He will be playing his football in the black and white of Juve next season, and claims to be well prepared for his new challenge.
Caldara, who will wear the No.13 jersey at his new club, was unveiled on Friday in a press conference.
“It’s an important part of my career, I’m at a big club and I have to demonstrate that I deserve to be here," he told reporters, via Juve's official website. "I gave everything that I could whilst I was at Atalanta, and I knew that it would prepare me well for Juventus, I feel great to be here.
“My idol when I was young was Alessandro Nesta, I tried to emulate him as much as I could and I’ve even chosen the number 13 that he used to wear. In the last few years I’ve looked up to Giorgio Chiellini and to play with him this season a huge honour for me, I want to learn from him as much as possible.
“Without my family I wouldn’t be here, they’ve been alongside me in difficult moments and the reason I’m here and my mentality is down to them and my girlfriend is close to me as well. Gian Piero Gasperini gave me a lot in the last few years, he told me don’t be afraid to go to Juventus, you have to demonstrate your quality right away and I’ll be eternally grateful to him.”
The defender will also be playing alongside former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo next term, something he has said he is "very excited" to do.
“It will be a big stimulus to have Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad and I’m curious to see how he constantly remains at the top level and to see what keeps him going. There’s a lot of enthusiasm for Ronaldo, it’s been a long time since a player like him came to Italy and I’m very excited to play alongside him."