Former Juventus midfielder Cesare Prandelli reveals the golden generation of the 1980s wasn’t as tight as perceived by the public.
The Bianconeri emerged as one of the most dominant forces on the globe during Giovanni Trapattoni’s first reign at the club. They went on to dominate the Italian landscape while also winning a host of continental titles, including the European Champions Cup in 1985.
That generation is widely considered the most iconic throughout the club’s history. It included a host of 1982 World Cup winners like Dino Zoff, Marco Tardelli, Gaetano Scirea, Paolo Rossi and Claudio Gentile, also bolstered by the presence of international superstars like Michel Platini and Zibi Boniek.
For his part, Prandelli surely wasn’t the star of the show, but he was an important squad member who went on to play 137 fixtures for the club between 1979 and 1985.
But while one would have imagined that these stars would be united by the accolades they achieved side-by-side, the 67-year-old revealed that this was only the case on the pitch, as they would turn to complete strangers once the match was over.
“From my years at Juve, I remember a group that was never united,” said the former midfielder in his interview with La Stampa via Calciomercato.
“There were the youngsters, the intermediates and the senators. But when we went out on the pitch we became one. Then after the match, we didn’t even say hello to each other. Over time, in my career, when I heard and still hear people talking about the group, I struggled to talk about those years.”
The former Fiorentina and Italy head coach then discussed the Heysel tragedy which saw 39 Juventus supporters, including women and children, losing their lives due to fan trouble ahead of the European final against Liverpool.
“The stadium wasn’t suitable, they even had to check the rubble. I remember very well that we were in the changing room and we could only see a sliver of the English Curva.
“Suddenly, hundreds of fans broke into the changing room. We let them pass because they were white, they were terrified. They were screaming: ‘dead, dead, dead’. It was distressing.
“Boniperti decided not to play but then the usual political dynamics ensued. The UEFA delegate explained that we had to do it otherwise the situation could get worse. It’s not true that we celebrated, they forced us to go under the Curva with the cup to keep the fans calm.”
