Juventus

History of Juventus: The Old Lady, Thirty-Six Scudetti and the European Quest

Italy's most successful club, owned by the same family for a century, Juventus embody the winning culture of Italian football. From the epic 1930s to nine consecutive titles, by way of the fall of Calciopoli, the Old Lady has lived through every era.

1. Turin Schoolboys and a Shirt from England (1897–1922)

On 1 November 1897, a group of pupils from the Massimo d'Azeglio school in Turin founded a club they named Juventus — Latin for "youth". The first shirts were pink. In 1903, unable to replace them, an English member of the club had shirts sent from Nottingham belonging to Notts County: the famous black and white stripes were adopted and have never left the club. A first scudetto followed in 1905.

2. The Agnelli Family and the Quinquennio d'oro (1923–1945)

In 1923 Edoardo Agnelli, son of Fiat's founder, became president: the start of the longest relationship between a family and a club in football history. Juventus built a professional team and won five consecutive championships from 1931 to 1935, the Quinquennio d'oro. Several of its players formed the backbone of the Italy side that won the 1934 World Cup.

3. Charles, Sívori and the Trapattoni Era (1946–1985)

The post-war years saw the Boniperti–Charles–Sívori trio shine in the late 1950s. But it was Giovanni Trapattoni, coach from 1976 to 1986, who shaped the great Juventus: six scudetti, the 1977 UEFA Cup and the 1984 Cup Winners' Cup. Around Dino Zoff, Gaetano Scirea, Paolo Rossi and three-time Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini, the club won its first European Cup in 1985 against Liverpool — a victory forever overshadowed by the Heysel disaster, in which thirty-nine people died before kick-off.

4. Lippi, Del Piero and the 1996 Champions League (1994–2005)

Under Marcello Lippi, Juventus entered the modern era. On 22 May 1996 in Rome, they beat Ajax on penalties to win the Champions League, driven by Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluca Vialli and Didier Deschamps. They then reached three consecutive finals, and another in 2003, all lost. Zinédine Zidane, Pavel Nedvěd — the 2003 Ballon d'Or winner — and Gianluigi Buffon embodied the period.

5. Calciopoli, Relegation and Rebirth (2006–2020)

In 2006 the Calciopoli scandal struck the club: Juventus were relegated to Serie B for the first time in their history and stripped of their 2005 and 2006 titles. Del Piero, Buffon, Nedvěd and Trezeguet stayed loyal and secured immediate promotion. The club opened its own stadium in 2011, then strung together an all-time record of nine consecutive scudetti between 2012 and 2020. Two Champions League finals, in 2015 and 2017, were lost, despite the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018.

6. Transition and the 2025–26 Season

Since 2021 Juventus have been going through a sporting and financial rebuild, marked by a thorough renewal of the club's leadership. The 2025–26 season belonged to that process. In Serie A the title went to Inter Milan, who completed a league and cup double. In the Champions League the Old Lady were eliminated in the play-off round by Galatasaray, after an extraordinary tie that finished 7–5 after extra time on aggregate. At international level, Italy — featuring many Juventus players — missed the 2026 World Cup.

7. Looking to 2026–27: Back to the Summit

With thirty-six scudetti, an Italian record, and one of the largest fan bases in Europe, Juventus approach the 2026–27 season aiming to reclaim their natural place: that of the club that wins. Their academy, a reserve team competing in Serie C and a stadium the club owns remain their best assets for building a side capable of reconquering Italy, and then Europe.

Honours, Stadium and Legends

Main honours: thirty-six Italian championships (a record), fifteen Coppa Italia titles (a record), two Champions Leagues (1985, 1996), three UEFA Cups (1977, 1990, 1993), one Cup Winners' Cup (1984), two UEFA Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups. In 1985 Juventus became the first club to have won all three major UEFA competitions. Since 2011 they have played in their own stadium, the Allianz Stadium, holding around forty-one thousand spectators and also home to the club museum.

The legends: Alessandro Del Piero holds the club's appearance and scoring records. Gianluigi Buffon, Giampiero Boniperti, Omar Sívori — the 1961 Ballon d'Or winner — three-time Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini, Roberto Baggio — the 1993 Ballon d'Or winner — Pavel Nedvěd, Gaetano Scirea, Dino Zoff and Giorgio Chiellini are among the greatest names in the Old Lady's history.

Rivalries and identity: the Derby d'Italia against Inter pits the country's two most decorated clubs against each other, and the Derby della Mole against Torino has divided the city of Turin for more than a century. Juventus also have the largest fan base in Italy, with supporters spread across the whole peninsula — particularly in the south, a legacy of the migration of workers to the Fiat factories of Turin in the post-war decades. The club's nicknames, "La Vecchia Signora" and "i Bianconeri", are recognised across the football world, and its three-star crest celebrates its more than thirty titles.

Rivalries and Supporter Culture

Nicknamed the "Old Lady", Juventus is the most supported club in Italy, with fans throughout the peninsula. The Derby della Mole against Torino pits the two Turin clubs against each other, and the Derby d'Italia against Inter remains the most prestigious fixture in Italian football. The black-and-white stripes, inherited from Notts County, have become one of the symbols of world football.