Monday, December 11, 2023, is a special day for Martina Lenzini, as her shirt goes into the Juventus Museum and becomes part of the club's history.
Lenzi made her 100th appearance for Juventus Women against Pomigliano on Matchday 10 of the 2023/24 Serie A season, and she has delivered her shirt to the Museum just two days later. The game itself couldn't have gone much better, with the Bianconere keeping a clean sheet and winning 4-0 thanks to goals from Lineth Beerensteyn (two), Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir and Barbara Bonansea.
The road to reach 100 appearances started all the way back on August 27, 2017, in Juventus Women’s historic first match. Since, Martina has done a lot, including a loan spell at Sassuolo before returning to Turin to become a key player.
What’s particularly impressive about her 100 appearances to date is that 80 of them have come as a starter, underlining her importance to the Bianconere.
Lenzini and Braghin’s delight
“As I said after the Pomigliano game, little Martina the fan would never have imagined that one day this could happen,” Lenzini herself said at the Museum. “I used to admire the idols like Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet, Pavel Nedved, Gianluigi Buffon, Claudio Marchisio and so many others on TV. Then I came to the Museum and I saw all of their shirts on display…
“To think that little girl now has her shirt in the Museum makes me so happy. I wanted to do well here, but to reach 100 appearances and see my shirt on the wall goes beyond all of my expectations. Now it’s time to think about future goals and milestones, I want this season to be Juve’s again, we want to win everything.”
“We’re very happy,” said Stefano Braghin. “Martina has been with us since day one, she was one of the first female players to sign for us in 2017, so to reach such a milestone is very rewarding and, above all, it’s a sign of the continuity of this project.
“She is a girl who has completed the path, having even gone out on loan and then come back as a key player. That gives us even more satisfaction because it shows that the path we have set out for our girls is one that bears fruit.”
Players with 100 Appearances for Juventus Women
- Arianna Caruso
- Lisa Boattin
- Barbara Bonansea
- Martina Rosucci
- Cristiana Girelli
- Valentina Cernoia
- Sara Gama
- Cecilia Salvai
- Sofie Junge Pedersen
- Tuija Hyyrynen
- Linda Sembrant
- Martina Lenzini
*data updated on December 11, 2023, after Juventus Women-Pomigliano
STATS & FACTS
Martina Lenzini is the sixth defender (after Lisa Boattin, Sara Gama, Cecilia Salvai, Tuija Hyyrynen and Linda Sembrant) to hit the 100-appearance mark for Juventus across all competitions.
Of Martina’s 12 Champions League appearances, 11 of those have come as a starter - not including qualification games. Only Boattin (19) and Salvai (15) have had more Champions League starts in defence for the Bianconere than Martina.
Since the 2021/22 season, only Arianna Caruso (53) has made more Juventus appearances than Lenzini’s 52.
Again since 2021/22, only Lisa Boattin has made more interceptions than Martina in Serie A. In that same timeframe, Lenzini is third in Juventus’ rankings for battles won, behind Caruso and Boattin. (Stat accurate as of before the Pomigliano game.)
Lenzini has two Juventus goals to her name across all competitions - one in Serie A against AC Milan on April 30, 2023, and the other against Okzhetpes in Women’s Champions League qualification on September 6, 2023.