Italian clubs have hardly fared well in the Champions League since Inter Milan won the competition under Jose Mourinho before the last World Cup.

Since then, the Serie A has become a relative laughing stock among Europe’s top leagues.

Betting and corruption scandals, racism and especially the poor quality of football have seen the Serie A fall well behind the Bundesliga, La Liga and English Premier League in the pecking order.

Some pundits even say that the Eredivise and French league now rank higher than the Serie A, with its grandiose history but paltry present.

Juventus striker Carlos Tevez says he shared the same view of Italian football before he joined the Serie A champions. But now that he has experienced it from within, he says that the world has got Italian football wrong.

“I can tell you what I thought about Italian football,” the 29-year-old former Manchester United and Manchester City star told Hurra Juventus.

“I thought that nobody ran, that the game was slow, that it was easy. Now I can say that is not the case!” 

“I think this is the most difficult type of football that I have ever played in,” he added.

“Many of the small details are looked at. We work really hard on a physical and tactical level. I think it is the exact opposite to what I imagined.” 

Meanwhile, Tevez says he ignored the furore that erupted when he was given the number 10 shirt worn by Juve icon, Alessandro Del Piero.

And he says he does not allow the expectations that come with such in iconic number to encumber him.

“Do you want to know the truth? I don’t think about these things, I don’t think about me having the Juventus No. 10," he said.

“It would be like putting me under even more pressure. You can play well under pressure, but also badly and I think there is more chance of playing badly under those circumstances. 

“That’s why I just play like I did when I was in my neighbourhood. I believe that is why things have gone well for me. I can’t start thinking about history.”