Juventus are Italy’s most successful club and one of the best supported in the country. The Bianconeri have won 27 league titles, but have not topped the standings since 2003.
This is due largely to their relegation to Serie B for their part in a corruption scandal that rocked Italian soccer in the middle of the decade. They are now back in Serie A but have been unable to curtail the Milan clubs' current dominance. Having controversially dispensed with coach Claudio Ranieri in May 2009, Juve finished seventh in successive seasons under, first, club legend Ciro Ferrara and then ex Sampdoria coach Luigi Del Neri.
Former captain Antonio Conte took over in the summer of 2011.
Quick Facts:
- Founded: 1897
- Home Ground (Capacity): Stadio Comunale, Turin (27,994)
- Nicknames: Bianconeri, The Old Lady
- Home Colors: Black and White
- Top Goalscorer All-Time: Alessandro Del Piero
- First Division/La Liga Titles: (27): 1905, 1925–26, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1957–58, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1966–67, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03
- Italian Cup/Coppa Italia Titles: (9): 1937–38, 1941–42, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1964–65, 1978–79, 1982–83, 1989–90, 1994–95
- European Cup/Champions League: (2): 1984–85, 1995–96
- UEFA Cup Winners Cup: (1) 1983-84
- UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League): (3) 1976–77; 1989–90; 1992–93
- Intercontinental Cup: (2) 1985, 1996
- European Super Cup: (2) 1984, 1996
The Team:
- Current Coach: Antonio Conte
- Top Goalscorer 2010-2011: Alessandro Del Piero, Alessandro Matri & Fabio Quagliarella (9 in all competitions)
- Captain: Alessandro Del Piero
- 2010-2011 League Finish: 7th
Juventus Squad:
1 Buffon ·2 Motta ·3 Chiellini ·4 Cáceres ·6 Grosso ·7 Pepe ·8 Marchisio ·10 Del Piero (c) ·11 De Ceglie ·13 Manninger ·14 Vučinić ·15 Barzagli ·17 Elia ·18 Quagliarella ·19 Bonucci ·20 Padoin ·21 Pirlo ·22 Vidal ·23 Borriello ·24 Giaccherini ·26 Lichtsteiner ·27 Krasić ·28 Estigarribia ·30 Storari ·32 Matri ·34 Marrone ·
A Little History:
Legend has it that the club was founded in 1897 by a group of boys who wanted to set up a sports club, primarily for soccer. If true, they could surely not have imagined that Juventus would become the most successful club in Italian soccer history.
The Bianconeri won their first league championship in 1905, but there was trouble brewing as in 1906 the club split because some staff were considering moving Juve out of Turin. The president, Alfredo Dick, was unhappy with this, forming another club FBC Torino, and taking some players with him. Torino are now Juve’s city rivals, but have not enjoyed the same success as the Bianconeri.
The club won it’s second championship in the 1925-26 season after Fiat owner Edoardo Agnelli took control and built a new stadium. Five more scudetti (league titles) followed in the 1930s.
After two decades of underachievement, Juve roared back in the 50s with four more scudetti. In the 1957-58 season they signed two strikers, John Charles and Italo-Argentine Omar Sivori, with the latter going on to become the first player at the club to win the European Footballer of the Year award.
One of Juve’s most successful managers is Giovanni Trapattoni. He ushered in a period of sustained success after joining the club in 1976. Trapattoni won all UEFA club competitions with Juve, also helping them to six league titles between 1976 and 1986. During his tenure, Juve won their 20th league title and also claimed a maiden European Cup in 1984. This was a glorious period, with European Footballer of the Year winners Paolo Rossi and Michel Platini parading their skills to the masses.
Juve were similarly dominant after Marcello Lippi took over in the mid-90s. They won three titles and a European Cup, but also managed to lose three finals in the latter competition over Lippi’s two stints in charge (he returned in 2001 after an unsuccessful season at Inter Milan). Zinedine Zidane is generally considered to be Juve’s greatest player from this era, although Alessandro Del Piero is another fans’ favorite.
Juventus were stripped of the two titles they won under Fabio Capello in 2005 and 2006 for their part in the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal. As punishment for rigging games by selecting favorable referees, the authorities relegated the club to Serie B in 2006. The Bianconeri have since returned to Italy’s top division.