Paulo Dybala should have demanded a one-year contract to prove his worth to Juventus if he was happy in Turin, according to former Bianconeri boss Fabio Capello.
Argentina international Dybala is set to see his time at the Allianz Stadium comes to its conclusion when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The forward has 113 goals across all competitions for Juve, ranking him third all-time among the club’s non-Italian scorers, behind only David Trezeguet (171) and John Hansen (124).
Fellow Serie A competitors Inter and Premier League side Tottenham, managed by former Nerazzurri coach Antonio Conte, are reportedly among the favourites to secure Dybala's signature for the next campaign.
But Capello believes if the 28-year-old was settled at Juve then he should have pleaded with the club for another chance, while he heaped praise on Massimiliano Allegri's new star striker Dusan Vlahovic.
"I like Vlahovic, he has pace, physical strength and desire to improve," he told Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport. "He knows how to work for the team and stay inside the box.
"But Max [Allegri] is right when he says that he must learn how to play in a top club, managing the pressure and the different phases in a game.
"You can't question Dybala technically, but he has had some fitness issues. If he was happy in Turin, he should have challenged Juventus. Ask them for a one-year contract and show how much he's worth.
"The same goes for [Roma forward Nicolo] Zaniolo. He suffered two serious injuries and remained out for 18 months. He must rediscover self-confidence because he has the technical skills."
Capello also expressed his concern for the state of Italian football, with the Azzurri missing out on two straight World Cups and no Serie A side in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Roma and Atalanta are the only two Italian sides left in the Europa League, and former England manager Capello believes Italy are way behind their international competitors.
"Italian football is far behind the others. The ball doesn't move quickly, referees blow the whistle too often," he added. "They stop the play too frequently. Every challenge is a foul, so there is never intensity, our teams do not learn to keep up the pace.
"We have fallen behind, in every sense, but the main problem is that the best players no longer come to Italy, so there is no comparison with the best.
"I don't learn anything if what should help me grow is of the same level as me, has my same knowledge, identical experiences"
Allegri acknowledged his reluctance to use young players in an interview on Friday, and the preference to utilise more experienced players is a problem thought to spread across the whole of the Italian game.
Capello expects no quick fixes as he cited the progression of other countries to learn from.
"Even eight. In Italy, everyone intervenes," he responded when asked if it would take five or six years to return Italy to the top of the footballing pyramid.
"As for youth sectors, those in charge should have a trip to Spain where they work on the technique, not on tactics."
Bellingham hails 'world-class' Ancelotti after Champions League heroics
Jude Bellingham lauded Carlo Ancelotti for unlocking previously unknown potential in his game as the pair celebrated Champions League success on Saturday.
The England international ended his first season in the Spanish capital with LaLiga and European glory, after the 2-0 victory over Bellingham's former club Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium.
A battling victory secured Los Blancos' 15th trophy in Europe's top competition, at least eight more than any other side (Milan, seven), as Ancelotti made further history.
The Italian has won the European Cup/UEFA Champions League more times than any other manager (five), with three of those coming in charge of Madrid.
That is also the joint-most for a manager in charge of a specific team, along with Bob Paisley at Liverpool (three) and Zinedine Zidane, also at Madrid (three).
Bellingham was quick to hail the work of veteran boss Ancelotti before the party started for Madrid in London.
"He has unlocked a part of my game that I didn't know I had," Bellingham told TNT Sports. "That is the thing about world-class coaches, they make you realise how good you can be.
"They test the limits of your potential. It is like being at school again, you learn something new every day and get better and better."
This was the sixth winning campaign for Madrid quadruple Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Dani Carvajal and Nacho in the Champions League, taking them level with Paco Gento (six) as the players who have won the European competition the most times in history.
Working alongside those players comes with its challenges, though, Bellingham says.
The 20-year-old continued: "Special feeling. Some of my team-mates have five or six titles and they said enjoy your first as it's a feeling like no other when you reach the top of the mountain.
"It's important to maintain that level but never forget your first and enjoy it. They were the better team for the majority but it comes down to moments and if you don't kill us, then it will come back to haunt you."
Having celebrated their league and continental double, Madrid could soon welcome the arrival of world-class forward Kylian Mbappe, who is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires.
With Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo usually either side of him up top, Bellingham expressed his excitement over an enticing link-up with the France attacker.
"It would be amazing if a player like him arrived," Bellingham added. "One of the best in the world."
Djokovic labels Musetti thriller as his greatest French Open showing
Novak Djokovic was in the mood for partying after surviving a thriller against Lorenzo Musetti, describing the performance as his greatest French Open showing.
The world number one battled long into the Paris night to secure a 7-5 6-7 (6-8) 2-6 6-3 6-0 victory in four hours and 29 minutes across Saturday and into Sunday.
The third-round marathon finished at 3:08 a.m. local time at Roland-Garros, shattering the tournament's previous latest finish of 1:25 a.m.
This victory also saw Djokovic equal Roger Federer (369) for the most major singles match wins of any male or female player in the Open Era.
"He played a fantastic match and came very close to victory," Djokovic said on court.
"I was in great difficulties but thanks to your support in the fourth set, I became a different player. It was perhaps the best match I have played here."
A stunning fightback also marked Djokovic's 36th five-set win at grand slams – the most of any player in the Open Era.
The 24-time major champion next faces Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo, who advanced to the fourth round for the second consecutive year.
Yet before that, the Serbian wanted to celebrate.
"Who's going to sleep now?" Djokovic added. "It's impossible to sleep, so much adrenaline. If you're having a party, I'm coming."
Djokovic must reach the final in the French capital to remain at the top of the ATP rankings, though Jannik Sinner would overtake him regardless if he reaches the showpiece.
Terzic 'proud but empty' after Dortmund's Champions League defeat
Edin Terzic says he feels "proud but empty" following Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid on Saturday.
Dortmund were the better side in the first half, though lacked a clinical edge to punish a Madrid side struggling to create chances.
Late goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior clinched a record-extending 15th European crown for Los Blancos, with Dortmund suffering Champions League heartbreak on Wembley turf for a second time.
The Black and Yellow have now lost their last three major European finals, though Terzic was still able to reflect on the positives from the game despite the disappointing result.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, he said: "After a Champions League final we've lost, I'm proud but also empty. It's difficult to think about the last 12 months and analyse that period. But I think we've had a season with a lot of ups and downs.
"Today was a perfect example of what is possible with this team, what we can achieve and that's what's important from tomorrow onwards. We have to try to be more consistent.
"It's difficult to find the words. Performance-wise, we played a great game, but we found out why they've become champions for the 15th time. They were so effective and that was something we missed.
"We showed that we were here to win, not just play a game. We were close. Small things missing. But congratulations to them to keep this kind of hunger. You can see why they are champions.
"This is a proud moment. We took 100,000 people from Dortmund to London, and everybody had the belief. It was a fantastic journey, but I'm also a bit empty inside as it was a great opportunity, but we didn't take it."
On the opposite side, former Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham became the third-youngest player to start a Champions League final for Madrid at 20 years and 338 days, after Iker Casillas in 2000 and Raul in 1998.
Terzic was full of praise for his former player and passed on his well wishes to the England international.
"When he left us, I said the same thing I said to Erling Haaland - that I was proud to be their manager," he added.
"It is his first Champions League win, and it is a proud moment for him.
"I know what Mark, Denise and Jobe are doing to get this success in the family. Congratulations to Jude."
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