Juventus Football Club: A Legacy of Excellence In Italian Football

Juventus Football Club: A Legacy of Excellence In Italian Football

Juventus or Juve is a top Italian football club based out of Turin, Italy. The club is currently the second oldest football club currently still operating, the oldest being Genoa. Juventus has never been relegated and has played top-flight football for more than 100 years (since 1900). The club’s shares are listed on the Italian stock exchange and investors and fans can become part owners in the Turin-based historic club. The club has also had 8 Ballon d’Or winners during their time at the club. Some of the club’s legends include Michel Platini, Roberto Baggio, Zinedine Zidane, Gianluigi Buffon, etc. The club was founded in 1897 and dons the prolific black and white striped jersey. Over the club’s successful history, it’s lifted the League title 36 times, the Coppa Italia 13 times, the Super Coppa 8 times. All these titles are the most won by any single Italian club. The club also won several accolades on the international and European stage with 2 Champions League trophies and 3 Europa League trophies. Juventus Football Club is very important to the dominance of Italian football on the world stage. Most club players in the Italian team play for Juventus which led to the Italian World Cup wins in 1934, 1982, and 2006.

Juventus Football Club’s Past

Juventus was originally formed towards the end of the 19th century, playing their first game at the turn of the new century in 1900.

1. The 1920s-30s – The 1920s saw the formation of legendary Juve squads although a still budding team. The team managed to secure a League title win in the 1920s and went on to win 5 more titles in the 1930s. The team has fans across the globe and across Italy and their winning run only helped their cause. While the fact that they were able to achieve such astonishing feats with such wase during their formative years is in and of itself quite impressive, their success was made even more monumental by the period in which they were able to secure it. The time they got their added titles was a delicate one not just for football but the entire world. It was because international relations were especially strained at this yet. Despite this, thanks to good management and foresight on the team, they were able to successfully make it a positive and memorable phase for the club and the fans.

2. WW2 – During the Second World War, the club fell into a period of decline and didn’t win any trophy until after the year and towards the end of the decade. They realized that they needed a radical change if they wanted to capture some of the forms of their glory days and return to winning ways. One of the moves they made that would prove a turning point for them was pointing to Gianni Agnelli as the club’s honorary president. It was initially met with a reservation; it ultimately proved to be just what the club needed to shake off the competition and restore its dominance in its domestic league. This period would also see them change the shape of the form considerably as they added new and versatile talent to the mix to set themselves further apart. As such, Juventus Football Club managed to win the title in 1950, 1952, 1958, and just once in the 1960s (1967). Some of the legends to play for the club during this period include Bettega, Causio, Altafini, Scirea, Boniperti, Sivori, John Charles, Ferrari, Monti, Orsi, etc.

3. Relegation – The club was relegated once in 2006, the first and only time in its history. The Juventus Football Club team was relegated for being involved in the Calciopoli scandal which involved match-fixing with referees. This incident dealt a significant blow not just to the club’s image but also to its league standing. Their involvement in the Calciopoli incident was promptly relegated to Serie B but were also slammed with a 9-point deduction. The worst was yet to come as they were also made to forfeit their 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles. It would also fracture the club’s structural integrity as the entire board of Juventus resigned, significant players in the club like Gianluca Zambrotta, Patrick Vieira, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic exited as well. While several key players left the club, the club secured promotion the next season in spite of being docked points. The leading goal scorer of the club at the time (and of all-time) is Del Piero with 290 goals.

Juventus Present

The club’s biggest rivals are FC Torino, a club also based out of Turin. When the clubs play a derby match, the fans attend or watch the Derby Della Mole. The rivalry between the clubs is intense. Torino split from Juventus back in 1906 when the latter wanted to shift outside Turin. For every 10 League wins, Juventus Football Club gets to add a golden star to the team’s jersey. Currently, Juventus has 3 stars on the jersey for 36 League wins. The team will be allowed to add another star once they reach 40 league wins which may not be too far away. The club also won 9 consecutive League titles starting in 2011 and no other Italian team has managed to displace Juve in this time. The club has won just two Champions League titles, with the last title won in 1996. In fact, while the club has had much success within Italy, the European titles seem elusive for Juventus. Being a European powerhouse club, it’s important to also compete at the very highest level within Europe. In the last two decades, the club has not won any European title. Some of the stars of the current squad at Juventus Football Club include Ronaldo, Morata, Chiellino, de Ligt, Ramsey, Dybala, Sandro, Bonucci, Buffon, etc.

Since their win in 1996, Juventus has been it to the final five times to date (they made it twice consecutively in 1997 and 1998). However, there’s been no joy so far as they always seem to lose an element when it matters most. Many have said that the club has a “Final’s Curse.” Over the years, there have been several speculations as to why such a top-flight club seems to have difficulty securing continental silverware. These variables have been explored and improved from poor coaching to a lack of genuine quality players. Yet, most recently, Juventus was again eliminated in their Last 16 tie. The current manager of the club, Massimiliano Allegri, has been quick to state that he doesn’t consider this a failure but rather strong motivation to put in even more effort in the future. It remains just how Juve’s efforts here will ultimately pan out.

Juventus Future

Juventus Football Club will continue to dominate in the Italian League. They will do so until or unless local rivals such as Milan, Inter, Roma, etc. start to challenge for the title. A more competitive League will also make things more interesting for the fans. And more competition is a precursor for a better Italian national football team. Until then, it’s hard to see anyone displace Juve from the top of the league. The club even brought in Cristiano Ronaldo to help them win European honors. The club was initially managed by ex-player and legend Andrea Pirlo who took the job from Sarri in 2020. Allegri was called on again to take the mantle of leadership after his successors appeared unable to replicate the level of success he had achieved in his first stint as the club manager. However, even this successful coach may have to leave soon as things haven’t exactly gone to plan with him either. While there is a myriad of speculation on who will take over, the club has yet to decide.