Pjanic’s trick that Allegri kept Ronaldo from a free‑kick at Juventus

While Cristiano Ronaldo scored 101 goals in 134 matches for Juve over three seasons and won two Serie A titles, coach Massimiliano Allegri prevented him from taking a crucial free kick on 3 March 2019 at the Festival dello Sport in Trento – a trick by midfielder Miralem Pjanic.

Massimiliano Allegri saw Cristiano Ronaldo lying on the ground and immediately sent the medical staff onto the pitch for injury treatment. Because of that intervention Ronaldo had to briefly leave the field, allowing Miralem Pjanic to take the free kick. Allegri later said: ‘Allegri saw Cris on the ground and sitting on his knee. He immediately sent the medical staff onto the field for injury treatment.’

The situation unfolded during a Serie A match between Juventus and Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. With the score at 0‑0 in the 25th minute, Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret received a red card for a foul on Ronaldo, which earned Ronaldo a free kick. Despite Ronaldo’s request to take the kick, Allegri stuck to his plan.

Result of the trick

Pjanic took the free kick, scored and thus provided Juventus’s only goal in the match, which was won 2‑1. The victory contributed to Juventus’s eventual Serie A title that season.

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Statistically, Ronaldo took 98 free kicks for Juventus in Serie A, of which he converted only one into a goal. Pjanic, on the other hand, hit the target with seven free kicks for the Old Lady, five of them in Serie A.

Pjanic, Bosnian‑Herzegovinian specialist

The former top footballer Miralem Pjanic, born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, revealed the ‘trick’ during the Festival dello Sport in Trento. His demonstration took the audience back to the match of 3 March 2019 and showed how a small intervention can remove a crucial chance.

The contrast between Ronaldo’s scoring power and Allegri’s tactical intervention underscores how even a star player can be limited by a coach’s decision. The incident remains a striking example of the influence of strategy over individual glory.