It all started with a crisis that meant the end of his predecessor, and now it ends with the club in the middle of an even bigger storm.
But between the two troubled periods, Andrea Agnelli’s 12-year tenure at the helm of Juventus certainly had its glorious moments.
The former skipper who resigned from his post on Monday leaves behind a legacy that includes nine Scudetto titles, five Coppa Italia trophies and two Champions League finals.
So whether we love him or hate him, we have to admit that the resigned president made some big decisions that no doubt benefited the club, before ruining a once glorious tenure with some bewildering decisions.
While we’ll certainly talk about his shortcoming later, for now, let’s pay tribute to the former president by recalling his five wisest calls.
5. Infrastructure improvement
Perhaps this is not perceptible to the naked eye by the fan, but it certainly has a great positive effect on the club and the players.
Although the new stadium project had been overseen by his predecessor Jean-Claude Blanc, Agnelli continued in the same direction, building the club’s advanced training ground at Continassa, J-Medical and other major facilities.
This has recently been brought to light by Cristiano Ronaldo, who pointed out a dig at the old Man United facilities and the same goes for the Brazilian team who enjoyed their stay at Continassa before leaving for Doha.
4. Launch of the women’s team
In the current age, women’s football is enjoying a huge momentum in terms of popularity and advancement.
Not to be outdone, the club not only launched Juventus Women in 2017, but immediately asserted its dominance over the Italian scene, winning five Scudetto titles in a row and establishing itself as the first Italian club to genuinely compete with the traditional European one. giants
3. The next generation of Juventus
In 2018, Juventus became the first club to launch an Under-23 team, allowing its youngsters to compete against professionals in Serie C.
While it took us a while to see the results, the likes of Fabio Mitetti, Nicolò Fagioli and Samuel Iling-Junior have emerged on the scene, proving that the next generation can truly act as a factory churning out rising stars worthy of the senior team. .
2. Hiring Count
Like Agnelli, Antonio Conte is a highly controversial figure among Juventus fans these days. But when the current Spurs manager was in charge of the first team, he was the toast of the city of Turin.
The former captain was instrumental in launching the nine-year winning dynasty, even if he only spent three seasons at the club before his sudden departure in 2014.
The former Juventus manager reinstated a strong character and winning culture that had been missing for some time.
1. Designation of Marotta
Despite possessing all the charisma in the world, Conte would not have made it without the right tools at his disposal, which brings us to the man Agnelli had trusted to build a winning team.
Giuseppe Marotta is one of the best general managers in the history of Italian football. His business savvy enabled Juventus to assemble a superb squad that turned the club’s fortunes upside down.
It is no coincidence that the club’s downfall began when he left his post, usurped by his former student Fabio Paratici.
The club threw Marotta and his cautious approach out the window, and is arguably paying the price for that ill-advised call.
