Former Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio spoke about his lengthy career with the Bianconeri, explaining that his dream was to wear the Juve shirt for as long as he could. The Turin native famously left Italy in favour of playing for Zenit St Petersburg, rather than playing for an Italian side that wasn’t the Old Lady, before eventually retiring from the game.
Speaking in an interview with BSMT, Marchisio looked back at his time with Juventus and explained what it meant to spend so much of his career with his boyhood club and the importance of the winning cycle started by Antonio Conte:
“I grew up with the great champions who played in Serie A, from the 90s to the 2000s, now times have changed a bit for us, beyond the great strikers and champions there have been many great men like Paolo Maldini, Alex Del Piero, Javier Zanetti, Totti & De Rossi. All who made history for their respective clubs.
“During my career it happened that Alex Sandro asked me if I didn’t feel like changing clubs, I answered him that my dream was to wear the shirt of my favorite team, as long as I can wear it – for me it’s an immense joy. It’s not easy because even if you stay in the same team you always have to prove yourself every year especially for what they come from outside.”
“The Juve cycle? Cycles begin and end, you have to have the ability to understand when they are ending and sow little by little and see that these seedlings become strong trees. For us it was like that, we come back from Serie B, I was on loan at Empoli, and the team finished third.
“The next year second and so Juve are back but then we fall with two seventh place finishes and out of the cups. Slowly, generational change with a coach (Conte) arrived at the right point for him and for us players. A squad that at the beginning, when we were not the favourites, won with something different, the group, the sacrifice, something inside to be able to do something extraordinary.
“From there the return of the Juve DNA opening a winning cycle, I think we exceeded all expectations, both for us and for the fans. Of the 9 consecutive titles I won 7, from the 1st Scudetto, every first day of the season for us was the most important, you can’t make a mistake to send a message. It’s down a mentality. The 5th scudetto we started very badly, 15 points from the top, then we didn’t give up and there was another way to find stimulation unlike other clubs. Strength is also in the mentality.”
