01 November 2017
By now Michel Platini had hung up his boots and the team was undergoing a restructuring process under the managerial guidance of the legendary former keeper Dino Zoff, who was ably supported by one of his great friends and former team-mates, Gaetano Scirea.
Fate cut that solid partnership short, however, during a trip to Poland where Scirea tragically died in a car accident while on a scouting mission. His memory very much lives on in all Bianconeri today.
Change was in the air. After 19 unforgettable years as president, Boniperti handed the presidential reins over to Mr Vittorio Caissotti di Chiusano in 1990 and four years later, Marcello Lippi was the new man in the Juventus dugout, determined to etch his name in the club’s history.
The team also saw several new faces such as Ciro Ferrara in defence, Paulo Sousa and Didier Deschamps in midfield and up front, alongside Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Baggio and Fabrizio Ravanelli, was an interesting young player. He had joined Juventus the previous year from Padova, catching attentions already for his magnificent technique and strong personality. His name was Alessandro Del Piero, the man who would go on to rewrite all Juventus records. 289 goals in 705 matches are numbers that may never be bettered by a player in black and white.
Under Lippi, there was no lack of drama on the pitch. His first season (1994/95) was defined by an endless duel with Parma, who managed to overcome Juve in the UEFA Cup final, but the Bianconeri ultimately came out on top to claim a Scudetto-Coppa Italia double, crucially guaranteeing their place in the Champions League the following year – and we all know what happened next…
After knocking out Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and Nantes in the semis, Lippi and company faced the task of beating reigning champions Ajax on 22 May 1996 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
With the scores locked at 1-1 after extra-time, the game would be decided by a penalty shootout: Juventus had scored all of their spot-kicks and Angelo Peruzzi had saved two, leaving Vladimir Jugovic with the chance to clinch it.
The Serbian approached the crucial kick with a smile on his face, but within seconds, his expression turned to a cry of joy as Juve were crowned champions of Europe.
And the decade ended in perfect fashion with a moment of Del Piero magic in December 1996 sealing victory against River Plate in the Intercontinental Cup held in Tokyo. The Bianconeri were back on top of the world again.
