juventus

Juventus F.C. (Latin for Youth) is one of Italy's oldest and most successful football clubs, based in Turin. It competes in Serie A. The team typically plays in black-and-white striped shirts and black shorts (but for decades in white shorts), and is nicknamed la Vecchia Signora (the Old Lady). The team gets its black-and-white striped kits from English side Notts County. The club's stadium is the 69,041-seat Stadio Delle Alpi, which it currently shares with Torino Calcio. This arrangement will end after the 2004–05 season, when Torino will open a new ground of its own. Juventus F.C. was founded in November 1897 by students from Massimo D'Azeglio Lyceum, and won a previous version of the national league titles as early as 1905, but did not win their second until 1926. In 1923, the Agnelli family (owners of Fiat) gained control of the club, and built a private stadium in Villar Perosa (near Turin) and a complete series of facilities and services. From 1931, the club won five consecutive Italian league championships (Italian scudetto). In 1933, they began playing at the Stadio Comunale. Post-war the club was very successful domestically, winning its tenth championship in 1961, but did not win any European titles until 1977 with the UEFA Cup. The height of European success was not reached until 1985, when they won the European Champions Cup, and then repeated the success in 1996. Juventus also won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1984 and two more UEFA Cup (1990, 1993). They have won 27 Italian titles and nine Coppa Italias to date, both national records. Until recently, Juventus' players had to wear short (and regular) hair; the club also provided the team with official formal wear (made by famous tailors) and forced them to complete their educational studies. Most of its players remained with Juventus until the end of their careers; many still work for it or for Fiat (or related companies). Juventus is now a corporation, listed on Milan's stock exchange. The sale of Zinedine Zidane to Real Madrid of Spain was the most expensive in football to date, costing the Spanish club over $64 million (US).

Current first team squad

As of February 2005

1 Gianluigi Buffon

2 Ciro Ferrara

3 Alessio Tacchinardi

4 Paolo Montero

7 Gianluca Pessotto

8 Emerson

9 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

10 Alessandro Del Piero

11 Pavel Nedved

12 Antonio Chimenti

15 Alessandro Birindelli

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Team honours

In terms of league championships (called Albo d'Oro (palmars)), the club is the most successful in Italian football.

Italian Championships: 27

1905, 1925-26, 1930-31, 1931-32, 1932-33, 1933-34, 1934-35, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1957-58, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1966-67, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1974-75, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1983-84, 1985-86, 1994-95, 1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2002-03.