Scent of home for Juventus after 2 years returns to Villar Perosa

The bianconeri restart from the tradition interrupted in 2019 for Covid, five thousand fans are expected in the Pinerolese valley this afternoon

TORINO

Starting again from where it all began is not just a blast from the past, but for this Juve it can become the springboard to start winning again – as required by the club’s DNA – after the first season without titles at the end of an unforgettable decade. This afternoon the bianconeri return to Villar Perosa, in the most Juventus place in the world, to celebrate a ritual that is as unique as it is out of fashion.

The international tours and the rich trophies have changed the habits of football, but not the meaning and spirit of this summer vernissage which represents the “baptism” for new players and at the same time strengthens a historical bond. All the more so on the eve of the long journey that will lead – in 2023 – to the centenary of the Agnelli at the helm of the company. History is tangible in this town in Val Chisone, the cradle and heart of the most famous family in Italy, which has been hosting the event continuously since 1959. Only Covid could stop the tradition, curiously the void of 2020 and 2021 coincides with the league titles lost after the cycle of nine consecutive tricolors, but it is not only for symbolism and superstition that Juve reappears in the Pinerolese valley. We need a new beginning and so, three years after the last time, we return to the old with a party that will find the embrace of 5,000 fans, ready to invade a town of 4,000 inhabitants to watch the match between the first team and the youth of the nursery (the Primavera has been replaced by the Under 23) with the kick-off at 5 pm (live on Sky and Juventus TV) and the inevitable invasion of the pitch halfway through the second half.

It is the day when Juventus return home and knit the threads of memory: for this reason the team in full force will pay homage to the Agnelli, with a visit to the family chapel (where the former presidents Gianni and Umberto also rest) in the small cemetery. by Villar Perosa. A moment of silence and meditation before the choirs, the applause and the crowd in the small plant dedicated to Gaetano Scirea. The expectation among the fans is great to give the warmest welcome back to Paul Pogba, even if the knee injury will keep him off the pitch, but also to cheer on the latest arrivals Angel Di Maria and Gleison Bremer as well as who will experience this match special for the first time. Chiesa, Vlahovic and Locatelli will be making their debut, as will the young Gatti, Fagioli and Miretti. Massimiliano Allegri will also experience some thrills, in this return to origins after the first time in 2014, while the veteran Leonardo Bonucci will make his debut in Villar Perosa as captain. A double satisfaction for him, one of the few survivors of the last precedent of the family match (on 14 August 2019 he finished 3-1 with a brace from Dybala): a tangible sign of the revolution undertaken by the bianconeri.

The mix of emotions is guaranteed for a new Juve who will be accompanied by Andrea Agnelli and John Elkann in this Italian debut after the three friendlies in the USA. Once it was the right place to embrace, in all senses, the stars rained down from the sky: from Sivori to Platini, passing through Del Piero, Baggio and Zidane, up to Cristiano Ronaldo who had his first Juventus time in Villar Perosa in 2018. Today it will be like this again in this rediscovered home fragrance. –

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