Former Italian defender Fabiano Santacroche recently shared several unforgettable experiences related to Juventus in a show. He talked about how Juventus legend Piero used an elbow to explain what "hunger" is, and recalled a 0-7 defeat that made him feel very humiliated.
What deep memories have you had in your career related to Juventus, especially Piero?
It was an incredible experience. I was only 20 years old at that time and I was still playing football in Brescia in Serie B, but my opponent was Juventus, who had many world-class players. I could only play the stars in the team two or three years ago in PlayStation. I was so excited to be able to compete with them, and I can say, I really learned something.
I remember something that has been imprinted in my mind until now. There was a corner kick at that time, and my task was to mark Piero. When the coach told me about this task before the game, I was thinking about it all.
I was close to him, only 30 cm away, but I was full of awe and didn't even dare to touch him. Just as Camoranesi was about to kick off, he (Piero) suddenly approached me and pushed my stomach hard with his elbow. He took this moment to get rid of me and created two meters of space for himself, and I could only bend over and cover my stomach. At that moment, I was furious and fierce trash talk broke out between us, and I also harshly hit him in the subsequent game.
But after the game calmed down, I began to reflect: "This man just won the World Cup as a core player and is an idol of Italian football. But even in a Serie B game where he had already locked in the championship, in order to win a goal, he would still give an elbow hit by a respectful boy to him without hesitation." It was at that moment that I truly understood the insatiable "hunger" that I must have to be at the top level.
You also mentioned another painful memory related to Juventus, that 7-0 game?
Oh, thank goodness I didn't play in that game. I have to ‘thank you’ Lucarelli played that game for me (laughs). I was sitting on the bench and witnessed one of the team's worst defeats. I remember the locker room was dead silent after the game, and everyone was furious, and it felt terrible. Losing 0-7 is a great shame, especially for the defender. If I were on the court at that time, once the score reached 0-4, the opponent's forward would have to be careful, because I would definitely be on the top and become very rough. I definitely can't finish that game. I guess by 0-5, I will find a way to get sent off.