The strength of an idea
It all began with a bench on Corso Re Umberto, one of the most famous streets in city centre Turin.
A
group of friends congregated on this bench. They all possessed a shared
passion for football, a special game that had recently been ‘imported’
from England. They had an intriguing idea, to create a sports club. The
boys attended the ‘Massimo D’Azeglio’ high school which specialised in
classical studies. They were well educated but the eldest was just 17
years of age. This paved the way for the club’s name. In Latin, the
name ‘Juventus’ means youth. They weren’t aware of it yet, but on 1
November 1897, they had given birth to a legend.
And so Italy’s greatest football team was
born, almost by chance. The club’s first President was Enrico Canfari,
the first ground was Piazza d’Armi (Parade Ground) and the side started
out wearing pink. Sporting that same jersey, the club made its debut in
the national championship in 1900. Three years later, the Bianconeri
colours, which had come from Nottingham, were in use. Five years later,
the first Italian title arrived when Juve successfully beat off stiff competition from Genoa and Milanese. President Alfredo Dick from
Switzerland, left the club shortly afterwards following various
complaints and rifts in the dressing room. He then went on to found
Torino FC, bringing the best foreign players from Juventus with him.
Juventus then endured some difficult years as they failed to keep pace
with the new footballing superpowers of the time, Pro Vercelli
and Casale.
The Bianconeri made a triumphant return
following the First World War: goalkeeper Giacone and
defenders Novo and Bruna were the first Juventus players to wear the
National Team’s jersey. The President was poet and scholar Corradino Corradini,
who also wrote the club anthem which was used until the 1960s. 1923 was
a special year as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time,
Giampiero Combi, made his first team debut. He would go
on to contribute heavily to a change in the club’s standing. On 24
July, a shareholders’ meeting saw Mr Edoardo Agnelli, son of the founder
of FIAT, elected as the new president. The club also now had its very
own playing surface in Corso Marsiglia. The terraces were just bricks
but the number of supporters increased day by day. Juventus had all the
foundations to rise through the ranks of Italian football and to
strengthen a side already boasting the likes of Combi, Rosetta,
Munerati, Bigatto and Grabbi. Then came the the first official manager,
Hungarian Jeno Karoly, and the first foreign world-beater, Hungarian
left-winger Hirzer.
In 1925/26 Juventus won their second Scudetto
title following a gripping regional final against Bologna and then a
resounding 12-1 aggregate win in the national final against Alba Roma.
But this was just the beginning. From 1930 to 1935, Juve were streets
ahead of the rest as five consecutive Scudetto trophies made their way
to Turin. The main ingredients of the ‘Golden five-year period’ were
the manager Carlo Carcano and champions such as Orsi, Caligaris, Monti,
Cesarini, Varglien I and II, Bertolini, Ferrari and Borel II. Juve also
made a significant contribution to the national side, who won the World
Cup in Rome in 1934. The 1930s saw the Bianconeri have their first
experience in a continental competition when they took part in the
European Cup, currently known as the Champions League. Although luck was
not on Juve’s side, they did manage to make four semi-final
appearances.
Juventus resumed their success after the
Second World War. Following the tragic death of Edoardo Agnelli in a
plane crash in 1935, his son, Giovanni, took on the role of president in
1947. The club’s most revered champions at the time were Carlo Parola,
Danish duo John Hansen and Praest and, most notable of all, Giampiero
Boniperti. Cheered on by thousands of fans, they recorded Scudetto
triumphs in 1950and 1952.
In 1953, Giovanni Agnelli stepped down from
the presidency and it was then passed onto his brother Umberto two years
later. Juve were on the brink of another triumphant cycle. The arrivals
of Omar Sivoriand John Charles helped the Bianconeri
to the Scudetto title in 1958 which allowed them to wear a star on their
shirts to mark ten national championship victories. The club recorded
three further successes during the 1960s, with the last coming in 1967
under the presidency of Vittore Catella. However, the start of the new
decade yielded even greater additions to the Juventus history books.
Giampiero Boniperti may have hung up his boots, but he continued to lead
the team by taking on the role of President on 13 July 1971. After
this, there was no stopping the Bianconeri.
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