Juventus Football Club S.p.A. (BIT: JUVE) (from Latiniuventus: youth, pronounced [juˈvɛntus]), commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve (pronounced [ˈjuːve]), are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont. The club is the third oldest of its kind in the country and has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 2006–07 season, in the top flight First Division (known as Serie A since 1929).
Founded in 1897 as Sport Club Juventus by a group of young Torinese students, among them, who was their first president, Eugenio Canfari, and his brother Enrico, author of the company's historical memory; they are managed by the industrial Agnelli family since 1923, which constitutes the oldest sporting partnership in Italy, thus making Juventus the first professional club in the country. Over time, the club has become a symbol of the nation's culture and italianità (Italianity), due to their tradition of success, some of which have had a significant impact in Italian society, especially in the 1930s and the first postwar decade; and the ideological politics and socio-economic origin of the club's sympathisers. This is reflected, among others, in the club's contribution to the national team, uninterrupted since the second half of 1920s and recognised as one of the most influential in international football, having performed a decisive role in the World Cup triumphs of 1934, 1982 and 2006. The club's fan base is larger than any other Italian football club and is one of the largest world-wide. Support for Juventus is widespread throughout the country and abroad, mainly in countries with a significant presence of Italian immigrants.
Antonio Conte (born July 31, 1969 in Lecce) is an Italian former footballer and manager. He is the current manager of Juventus.
Conte began to play football in his city, within the U.S. Lecce youth team, before making his Serie A debut with the first squad in 1985. He was signed by Juventus in 1991 (debuting November 17, 1991 vs. Torino), being later made captain before the promotion of Alessandro Del Piero to this role. During the 1998–1999 season when Del Piero suffered a horrendous leg injury, Conte returned to the captaincy and led Juventus to the UEFA Champions League semifinals. He maintained the captaincy till the 2001/02 season. In 2002–2003, Conte was part of the Juventus team that reached the UEFA Champions League final only to lose on penalties to AC Milan, with Conte himself coming closest to winning the game for Juventus in normal time when he crashed a header off the crossbar early in the second half. Conte became one of the most decorated and influential players of Juventus history. He played for the Italian national team and was a participant at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 2000 UEFA European Championship.
Stephan Lichtsteiner (born 16 January 1984) is a Swiss footballer, currently playing for Juventus and the Swiss national team. He is known for his runs down the right flank when on the counterattack, hence his nickname "Forrest Gump". He is an attacking Right back capable of playing in the midfield, with versality, lightning pace and a very high top speed.
Lichtsteiner was born in Adligenswil, Canton of Lucerne. Lichtsteiner began his career at Grasshopper Zürich in 2001–02 and made his debut in the old Swiss Football League but only made one league appearance. The following season, he began to establish himself as a first team regular and helped the club to the league title.
During the 2004–05 season Lictsteiner sealed a transfer to Lille OSC as one of five Swiss players to enter Ligue 1 during the summer of 2005. He became a regular in his first season and helped Lille to a third place finish to secure a Champions League spot. His last season ended disappointingly as Lille finished seventh in the league and missed out on European football next season just by a point. However he did end with 4 goals, his highest tally so far.
Fernando José Torres Sanz (Spanish pronunciation: [ferˈnando ˈtores]; born 20 March 1984), nicknamed El Niño (The Kid in Spanish), is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker.
Torres started his career with Atlético Madrid, progressing through their youth system to the first team squad. He made his first team debut in 2001 and finished his time at the club having scored 75 goals in 174 La Liga appearances. Prior to his La Liga debut, Torres played two seasons in the Segunda División for Atlético Madrid, making 40 appearances and scoring seven goals. He joined Premier League club Liverpool in 2007 after signing for a club record transfer fee. He marked his first season at Anfield by being Liverpool's first player since Robbie Fowler in the 1995–96 season to score more than 20 league goals in a season. Torres became the fastest player in Liverpool history to score 50 league goals after scoring against Aston Villa in December 2009. He left the club in January 2011 to join Chelsea for a record British transfer fee of £50 million, which also made him the most expensive Spanish player in history.