Former Juventus captain and manager Antonio Conte recalled his meeting with Andrea Agnelli, which paved the way for his return to the club.
After winning the Scudetto title with three different clubs, as well as a Premier League title during his time at Chelsea, the 55-year-old has undoubtedly cemented himself as one of the greatest managers of the current era.
But back in 2011, the Livorno native was still a young tactician seeking his first big break.
At the end of the 2010/11 season, Conte had led Siena to a Serie A promotion, while Juventus were coming off an abysmal campaign under Luigi Delneri.
Therefore, Agnelli identified the club’s former captain as the ideal choice to usher in a new era for the Bianconeri.
Conte recalls first meeting with Andrea Agnelli
The then-Juventus president invited Conte for a dinner at his home, but didn’t immediately reveal his intentions.
“I was having dinner with my wife and I saw the phone call from [former Juventus CEO] Dr. Giraudo,” tells Conte in his interview with Sky Sport Italia via IlBianconero.
“I left the restaurant and on the other end of the phone I heard: ‘Hi Antonio, how are you?’, it was Andrea Agnelli. ‘I spoke to the doctor and, I would really like to meet you, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other’.
“I went to his house and he started by asking me how the season went. He compliments me on the promotion to Serie A and then says: ‘Do you want to buy some players from us?’ I reply: ‘Look, Andrea, we’re not at this level yet.’
“With that sentence, I understood that I’m not in his plans, so we stay there talking for five hours. In the meantime, his wife also comes down, we say hello and he goes up.’
“Then I found out that his wife had asked him: ‘Who is he?’ and he had replied ‘He’ll be the future coach of Juve,” adds Conte while getting emotional.
“So then Andrea returns and tells me: ‘The next step I have to make you speak to Marotta’.”
Antonio Conte has a memorable managerial spell at Juventus
Conte’s appointment proved to be a masterstroke, as Juventus immediately returned to winning ways.
However, the Lecce native resigned from his post in the summer of 2014 after disagreements over the transfer strategy, and his rapport with Agnelli swiftly deteriorated.
The two men infamously traded insults in front of the cameras during a Coppa Italia clash between Juventus and Inter in 2021.
