Juventus FC: A tale of legacy, turmoil, and triumph 

Juventus FC is the most decorated club in Italian football. With 36 Scudetto titles, they have won more Serie A championships than any other club in history, alongside numerous other major honours.

However, the Turin giants have seen a significant decline in recent years and are no longer competing at the same level as Inter Milan, who have emerged as a dominant force in Italian football. Juve have now gone six years without winning the league and have not secured the UEFA Champions League title since the 1995/96 season.

The team who used to win league titles for fun have fallen behind in the pecking order, with other teams dominating and different league leaders emerging in Italy. Despite being a constant presence in the Champions League, The Old Lady last reached the final of the competition nearly a decade ago.

Here, we look at Juventus’ history, legacy, the biggest scandal that rocked them, how they recovered from the setback, and what lies ahead for them.

The rich legacy

Juventus was formed in 1897 by a group of high-school students in the city of Turin. The name “Juventus” was derived from “youth” in Latin.

Juve won their first league title in 1905. A major management change ensued in 1923, when the owners of Fiat Company, the Agnelli, took control of the club, with Eduardo Agnelli becoming the president of the club. Under Agnelli’s leadership, Juventus went through a period of continued success and created a rich legacy in Italian football. 

Juventus won five consecutive league titles from 1930 to 1935. In 1958, they claimed their tenth league title. Between 1950 and 1960, they won a lot of silverware, winning eight titles in ten years. They won another five league titles in the 1970s. The period between 1980 and 2000 wasn’t as dominant for Juventus, as AC Milan reigned supreme during that period.

Their second-most successful period arrived after the highly controversial Calciopoli scandal that saw them relegated to Serie B. Following the setback, Juve climbed right back into the top flight the next season and went on to win nine consecutive titles from 2012 to 2020, maintaining their claim as the most successful club in Italy. 

While domestic success kept piling up, European success arrived in 1985 when they won their first European trophy (UEFA Cup). However, it was marred by tragedy, as 39 Juventus fans lost their lives at the Heysel Stadium during an incident involving Liverpool fans. Despite the massive tragedy, the match was restarted and ended in a 1–0 win for The Old Lady, a six-year ban from the competition for Liverpool Football Club, and a five-year ban for all English clubs.

Juve’s biggest European success arrived in 1995/96, when they defeated Dutch giants Ajax 4–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw after extra time. Juventus might not have won the Champions League since then, but they have reached multiple finals (seven), with their last final appearance arriving in 2016/17.

Since their inception, Juventus have won a total of 72 trophies:

» 36 Serie A titles
» 15 Coppe Italia
» 9 Supercoppe Italiane
» 1 Serie B title
» 2 Champions League titles/European Cups
» 3 Europa League titles/UEFA Cups
» 2 UEFA Super Cups
» 2 Intercontinental Cups
» 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup
» 1 UEFA Intertoto Cup

Top-performing players and managers in Juventus history 

Juventus have seen many footballing superstars wear their iconic bianconero jersey with pride. They’ve also been fortunate to work with many top managers who have helped them win multiple prestigious titles.

The most popular and top-performing ten players in Juve men’s history are: 

1. Alessandro Del Piero (290 goals and 174 assists in 705 appearances, 16 trophies)
2. Gianluigi Buffon (685 appearances, 314 clean sheets, 21 trophies)
3. Michel Platini (224 appearances, 104 goals, 70 assists, seven major trophies and three consecutive Ballons d’Or during the 1980s)
4. Giampiero Boniperti (Juve’s famed No. 10 from 1946 to 1961 with 465 appearances, 185 goals, and 14 assists. He was also the club’s honorary President for 30 years post-retirement)
5. Gaetano Scirea (551 appearances with 32 goals and 10 assists, 14 titles, was known for exceptional fair play and never received a single red card in his career)
6. Dino Zoff (Another top goalkeeper, 474 appearances, 225 clean sheets, nine trophies in 11 years) 
7. Giorgio Chiellini (A defender par excellence, 561 appearances, 36 goals, 27 assists, 19 trophies)
8. Pavel Nedved (Midfield genius, 327 appearances, 65 goals, 82 assists in nine seasons, won four trophies and a Ballon d’Or in 2003)
9. Gianluca Vialli (Another top forward, 145 appearances, 53 goals, 26 assists and won five major trophies in four seasons with Juventus)
10. Zinedine Zidane (One of the best midfielders of all time, 212 appearances, 31 goals, and 54 assists, won six trophies with Juventus in six seasons, also won the Ballon d’Or in 1998)

Five top-performing managers in Juve men’s history are:

1. Giovanni Trapattoni: The most successful coach in Juve history, winning 14 major titles in two spells with the club, from 1976 to 1986 and then from 1991 to 1994, establishing Juve as one of the most feared clubs in Europe.
2. Marcelo Lippi: Another great Italian manager who continued to keep Juventus at the top in Italian football. He was their coach from 1994 to 1999 as well as 2001 to 2004 and won them 13 trophies. He was the last Bianconeri coach who led them to Champions League glory.
3. Antonio Conte: Although Conte won only five titles with Juventus, he resurrected them from the mess of the Calciopoli scandal and established them back at the top with three consecutive Serie A titles. Conte worked with Juventus from 2011 to 2014 and paved the way for further success under Massimiliano Allegri.
4. Massimiliano Allegri: The Old Lady gained massive success in the two spells under Max Allegri. He won 12 titles with them and managed a historic feat of achieving five consecutive domestic doubles. Allegri worked with Juventus from 2014 to 2019 and then from 2021 to 2024.
5. Carlo Parola: Parola coached Juventus between 1950 and 1962 over several spells. He won three trophies with them, coaching the attacking trio of John Charles, Omar Sivori, and Giampiero Boniperti, and led the team to three Serie A titles.

The Calciopoli scandal and financial difficulties

The Calciopoli scandal of 2006 marked one of the darkest days in Italian football. Juventus, Milan, Fiorentina, Reggina, and Lazio faced allegations of corruption, with Juve general manager Luciano Moggi accused of grossly misusing his power and influence.

Phone transcripts involving Moggi were provided as evidence. He and Juve chairman Antonio Giraudo had also detained referee Gianluca Paparesta and his two assistants after Juve’s 2–1 loss at Reggina in November 2004. According to them, the officials had not favoured Juve during the game. Moggi was also trying to put pressure on the vice-chairman of UEFA’s referees’ commission to have favourable referees feature in their games.

As a consequence of this massive scandal, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Franco Carraro and vice-president Innocenzo Mazzini had to hand in their resignation, while Moggi received a lifetime ban from Italian football.

Juventus were stripped of two league titles and were relegated to Serie B with a 30-point deduction, which was later reduced to nine points, while the other four clubs also received punishment for their involvement in the scandal.

If this wasn’t enough, Juventus coach Fabio Capello left for Real Madrid and took a couple of players with him. Many Juve superstars, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Viera, Fabio Cannavaro, Emerson, Lilian Thuram, Gianluca Zambrotta, and Adrian Mutu, left the club in the aftermath of the embarrassing situation.

Juventus also underwent financial difficulties after 2021. The club were in trouble again over issues with player trading between 2019 and 2021. They reported a massive loss of €254 million in the 2021/22 season, denying allegations of incorrect accounting and transfer market manipulation.

Club chairman Andrea Agnelli and his board resigned, and in 2023 Juventus agreed to pay a fine of €718,000 and took a ten-point deduction for the settlement with Serie A over player payments and club’s accounts. Juventus were also given a one-year ban from European competitions over the breach of UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

The incredible comeback

Even though the Calciopoli scandal rocked the club, some of their key players, such as Gianluigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved, David Trezeguet, and Giorgio Chiellini, stayed loyal to them and played in Serie B, helping them clinch promotion at the first time of asking.

Former player Antonio Conte returned to the club as head coach in 2011 and turned their fortunes around. He went on to win three consecutive Serie A titles with Juventus from 2011 to 2014. After Conte’s departure, Massimiliano Allegri took charge of The Old Lady and went on to follow in Conte’s footsteps, bringing even more glory to the Turin-based club. Juventus dominated Serie A until 2019/20, winning a record nine league titles in a row. They also reached two Champions League finals (2014/15 and 2016/17) during that period.

Being shunned into relegation and berated for corruption and wrongdoings, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if Juve remained away and drifted into football obscurity. However, they put on a great show of defiance to come back and gain serial success. That kind of effort takes a lot of courage, determination, and class, and the Juve players and coaches had just that. They rescued the club from a messy situation and propelled it back to the pinnacle of Italian football, creating new records and breaking several old ones along the way.

Like a phoenix rising from its ashes, Juventus reclaimed their throne.

What lies ahead for The Old Lady?

As we have witnessed over the past few years, most clubs in Serie A have been struggling financially, as the league hasn’t been able to reinvent itself as compared to the Premier League. The Italian top flight isn’t the most-watched league around the world, and that has affected its clubs.

Their struggles are also evident from their performances in the Champions League, where only Inter have reached two finals in the last few seasons. Apart from them, no other Italian side has competed well with the other European giants from England, Germany, Spain, and France.

Juve haven’t won the league since 2019/20, and a European trophy since 1995/96. They have been able to qualify for the Champions League regularly but haven’t really hit the standards their legacy demands. Financial troubles in recent years have also limited their spending in the transfer market, and considering their performances, it won’t be a surprise if their current talent were to push for greener pastures.

Fans of the Bianconeri have endured a lot of troubles and turmoil, but they have also witnessed a lot of success and glory. And while Juve are no more a dominant force in Europe, they will forever remain one of the continent’s most storied clubs, and one hopes they can find their way out of this slumber and compete for major silverware once again.