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.
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. 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. 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, Dybbala, Sandro, Bonucci, Buffon, etc.
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 is currently managed by ex-player and legend Andrea Pirlo who took the job from Sarri in 2020.
