Juventus have enjoyed a great start to 2018/19,
boasting a 100 per cent record after their
first ten games. That is a new club record
and is testament to the great work being done
both on and off the pitch by the Italian giants.
While the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo has
clearly given them a major boost, signing
such a player would not be possible without
the incredible work being done behind the
scenes in Turin.
Key to that has been Beppe Marotta, who was
appointed as Juve’s Director General back
in May 2010. Prior to that he had worked at
Varese, Monza, Como and Ravenna before joining
Venezia in 1995. Three years later he had
masterminded their promotion to Serie A, bringing
in players like Álvaro Recoba, Christian
Vieri and, erm, Massimo Taibi along the way.
After a brief stint with Atalanta, Marotta
moved on to Sampdoria who were coming off
their worst season since the founding of the
club in 1946. They had finished tenth in Serie
B and had been stuck in the second division
for three straight years, but the new man
had them promoted within 12 months of his
appointment.
It was here where he first met Fabio Paratici,
who had recently called time on his playing
career to become a scout for Sampdoria. The
two worked together closely, getting the Genoa-based
club into Europe and – thanks to the goals
of Giampaolo Pazzini and Antonio Cassano – they
qualified for the Champions League playoffs
in 2010.
That was when Marotta departed for Juve, taking
Paratici with him. They would initially struggle
to adapt to life at such a demanding club
and a number of their moves on the transfer
market were utter disasters. Marco Motta,
Milos Krasic and Jorge Martinez were terrible
and it seemed the director was out of his
depth.
The summer of 2011 was the first time he looked
like he belonged, bringing in Stephan Lichtsteiner,
Arturo Vidal and Mirko Vucinic to completely
transform Juventus. They went from seventh
place to first, with the appointment of Antonio
Conte and the signing of Andrea Pirlo for
free proving to be the catalysts for success.
A first Scudetto since the Calciopoli scandal
followed, but so too did the first of many
cold business decisions. Club legend Alessandro
Del Piero was not offered a new contract as
Juve and Marotta put progress and success
ahead of sentiment, much to the dismay of
Bianconeri supporters everywhere.
Conte followed him in 2014 and the decision
to appoint former Milan boss Max Allegri was
also widely criticised. The Coach and Marotta
were pelted with eggs by Juve fans, but they
were soon vindicated as the club won a league-and-cup
double while also reaching the Champions League
final during Allegri’s first season.
Players continued to arrive, Carlos Tevez
perhaps the first big name capture by Marotta
and another Champions League final would soon
follow. But this past summer saw the director
once again refuse to bow to nostalgia, and
Gonzalo Higuain was sent to Milan as Juve
looked to keep the cost of signing Ronaldo
to a minimum.
He then cut Gigi Buffon loose despite the
goalkeeper wanting to play on, before letting
life long Juve fan Claudio Marchisio go too.
That exit hurt supporters deeply as the homegrown
hero was not even given chance to say goodbye,
but then it was announced that 61-year-old
Marotta himself was also being ousted.
Just like Marchisio and Buffon, he has been
replaced by a younger, hungrier alternative
as Paratici was given control over the transfer
market. He is only 46 and has been chased
by Tottenham and Manchester United in recent
years.
It is definitely the end of an era in Turin,
and Juventus will always be thankful to Beppe
Marotta, the man who made the Old Lady great
again.
