Juventus

Juventus Logo

Juventus, the Old Lady, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin. It is probably the team both most loved and most hated in all of Italy, and it has the most victories. It is also surrounded by myth and controversy,.and has its own style.

Indeed, 'Juventus style' is a term commonly used by the Italians and for decades it meant a way of handling the media, the team's image, and its overall behavior on the soccer field. That lasted for over a century until 2006 when the Juventus style collapsed. Like a Phoenix the club was called to get its act together and be reborn from its own ashes - and it did.

But let's follow it chronologically from 1897 when a few young men on a bench in Turin decided to create Juventus Football Club. The original colors were black and pink, but were soon replaced by black and white, which would identify the team for the rest of its life.

The first few years were promising, but not extraordinary; they managed to win one Italian Scudetto. However, the major shift in Juventus history occurred in 1923 when Fiat and the Agnelli family bought the team. Changes were tangible with a new stadium and an immediate second title. In the 1930s the team was able to strike five championships in a row; it took then until after World War II for it to become the undisputed champions. During the 1940s and 50s the team was strongly under Giovanni Agnelli's control and featured some great players such as Omar Sivori, but the most significant player to wear the Juventus jersey was Boniperti.

In 1958 the first legendary achievement arrived, the team's 10^th official title, which gave it the right to perpetually wear a small golden star. In the 1970s the team modernized its style while still under Fiat ownership. Boniperti became president of the team and he started a revolution that brought players like Bettega, Scirea, Zoff, Causio, Cabrini, and a young Giovanni Trapattoni who was about to start the most successful coaching career in history.

Juventus History

With Trapattoni, Juventus managed to win its second golden star and reached a total of 22 championships. They won all three European Cups, the first team to be able to do so, and the Intercontinental Cup. In other words, it won all the trophies that a European team could possibly win. In the 1980s another legend was added to the team, French player Michel Platini. The team seemed unbeatable. Tragically, their most important victory was tainted on 29 May 1985 during the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus at Heysel Stadium in Brussels. British Hooligans pushed innocent Italians against a wall in the stadium, causing it to fail and killing 39 people, 32 of whom were Juventus fans. The game went on for security reasons and Juventus won its first European title after trying for over 30 years. A victory none would ever remember without also remembering the fans' deaths. Trapattoni and his team subsequently won another title, but then many years of darkness fell on the team. Boniperti left office, Platini retired, and only Dino Zoff first and Trapattoni again later were able to secure two UEFA cups, a small record considering the team's history.

Best 15 Goals in Juventus History

Then in 1993, a new era was born. Angelli appointed Giraudo, Moggi, and Bettega to manage the team, Boniperti returned as a consultant, and people like Vialli and Baggio became key players. The results were amazing. The rejuvenated Juventus won an Italian Championship in its first season and went on to win the European title again, this time without any dark background. The coach was Marcello Lippi and with him, four more Italian titles were won arriving at a total of 27, with four more times as a runner up in the European finals. Lippi soon left for good to coach the national team and Fabio Capello was hired as the Juventus coach. The team continued to be as strong as ever, and Juventus won two more championships and flew to 29 titles, only one short of its third golden star.

At this point the unthinkable happened: Juventus was accused of fixing some referee assignments in the 2004/2005 season. A quick sport trial revoked their recent two titles with Capello, and Juventus was sent to second division.

After one year, the team came back where it always belonged and has played strongly, though it has not yet won another title. It is led by the captain Alessandro Del Piero who, alongside Michel Platini and Bonipert, is the most important player to have played for the team. All of Italy, and much of Europe, waits with excitement to see what their next title will be.