On June 6th, the strongest Old Continent club team of the season will be revealed at the "Olympic" stadium in the German capital Berlin.
The two contenders for the most prestigious European trophies are the successful "Barcelona" and Turin "Juventus" clubs, who have successfully passed the group stages and knockout rounds.
The official website of the Catalan club has presented the 10 most interesting facts about their future opponent in Berlin.
- The club was founded by students. The beginning of Turin team's activities dates back to 1897. The team was formed by a group of students from Massimo D'Azeglio high school, and its name in Latin means "youth".
- La Vecchia Signora. "Juventus" is also known as the "Old Lady". It is believed that this nickname stuck to the team in the third decade of the last century, when the Agnelli family took over the team management. They were then called the "old ladies", so the team acquired a feminine name.
- Main rivals. The closest rivals of Turin "Juventus" in the national championships are another team from the same city "Torino" and "Internazionale" from Milan. The match between "Juventus" and "Torino" is also known as the "Derby della Mole", named after the famous Mole Antonelliana building in the city. The match between "Juventus" and "Internazionale" in Italy is often compared to Spain's "El Clasico".
- Most fans in Italy. The Turin club is also known as "La Fidanzata d'Italia" because it has the largest army of supporters in the country.
- The first European cup marked by tragedy. In 1985, Turin "Juventus" became the European champion for the first time, but the decisive match against "Liverpool" is more remembered for a tragic event. Just before the start of the match in Brussels, the stands of the "Heysel" stadium couldn't withstand the crowd and collapsed. 39 football fans lost their lives. Despite this tragic incident, the match still began. "Juventus" won the match 1-0, with the only goal of the game scored by Michel Platini from the penalty spot.
- Next trophy in 1996. The next trophy in Europe "Juventus" won only after 11 years, when they defeated Amsterdam's "Ajax" on penalties at the "Olympic" stadium in Rome. By the way, the Turin team has lost more finals than any other club. The "Old Lady" stumbled in crucial matches against "Ajax", "Hamburger SV", Dortmund's "Borussia", Madrid "Real" and "AC Milan".
- First owner of the treble. Only five Old Continent clubs have won the so-called European treble - the European Cup, Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup. The first to achieve this was Turin's "Juventus". Other clubs boasting such achievements in their history are "Barcelona", Munich "Bayern", Amsterdam "Ajax" and London "Chelsea".
- Best Italian club of the 20th century. The International Football History and Statistics Federation (IFHHS) named Turin club the best Italian team of the last century. "AC Milan" came second, followed by "Internazionale".
- The flight downhill. The 2005-2006 season was the darkest period in the history of Turin's "Juventus" due to the fraud scandal that shook Italy. Several powerful clubs were involved, but the "Old Lady" suffered the most. The Turin club was relegated from "Serie A" to a lower division, starting the competition with a deficit of nine points and losing two Italian "Serie A" titles. This was the only time when "Juventus" had to play in a non-elite league.
- Four "Scudetto" in a row. In 2007, the team rose from the ashes and returned to the "Serie A" division. Since the 2011-2012 season, "Juventus" has won the national championships four times in a row.
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