01 November 2014
The first such occasion came in 1931. It was a home match against Alessandria, which Juventus won 3-0 thanks to goals from Ferrari, Maglio and Cesarini. It’s an event that belongs to Juventus’ past; to its history. Since then, the Bianconeri have marked their birthday – 1 November – with a Serie A football match on a further 12 occasions.
This year, it will happen again, this time at Empoli. Lady Luck decreed that Juventus would once spend their birthday on the pitch.
It’s a twist of fate that hasn’t happened since 2008, in fact. That 1 November, Claudio Ranieri’s Juve side beat Roma 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, the goals coming from Del Piero and Marchionni. In total, the Bianconeri have played 13 times on their birthday in the league, amassing nine wins, four defeats and not a single draw.
Those defeats came at the hands of Napoli, Lazio – away from home on both occasions, in 1933 and 1936 – and Roma in 1981, when the Giallorossi beat Juve 0-1 in Turin thanks to a goal from Falcao. Aside from that, it’s been all smiles for the Old Lady in matches that have included notable contributions from some extremely renowned names. 1962’s Juventus 3-1 Vicenza, for example, settled by a strike from Omar Sivori. Or the 5-1 win over Ancona in 1992, notable for a Roberto Baggio brace.
To mark their 90th birthday on 1 November 1987, Juventus decided to celebrate their past and treat their fans by playing in pink jerseys. That day, the Bianconeri beat Avellino 3-0. Colantuono, the current Atalanta boss, scored an own-goal, with Ian Rush and Angelo Alessio supplying the other two.
Juve have also twice been involved in European fixtures on their birthday in the past. The first, in 1989, was a 2-1 victory over PSG in Turin. The second was an away day against Glasgow Rangers in 1995. Ravanelli, Marocchi, Torricelli and Del Piero got the goals in Scotland.
