On the eve of his 93rd birthday he passed away Giampiero Boniperti, legendary center forward and captain of the Juve from the 70s and then president of the Bianconeri from the 4s onwards, but above all an icon of the Turin club and of Italy's football. He died in the night of heart failure and would have celebrated his birthday on July XNUMXth.
He was born in Barengo, in the province of Novara, and when he joined Juve at the end of the 40s it is said that he did not negotiate so much for money, but for young and pregnant cows to bring them as a dowry to the peasant family. Avvocato Agnelli gave him one for each goal scored. Those of Juve were forever his colors: he played 459 official matches, winning 5 Championships and Italian Cups repeatedly in the trio Boniperti-Charles-Sivori. But he too was a winner as club president, for his ability to discover talents – including Scirea and Del Piero – but also for the discipline with which he managed the team, never losing sight of the accounts.
Very close to Avvocato Agnelli, but also to his brother Umberto, Boniperti was President of Juventus from 1971 to 1990 and then managing director from 1991 to 1994. Since 2006 he was honorary president. “Juve – he used to say – is not only the team of my heart, it is my heart”. His passion was equal to his immense competence, but for him the human profile of the players was no less important than the technical one.
His escapes from the stadium before the end of each game are unforgettable, so as not to suffer too much. The tough negotiations with the players and the Juve style he imposed on them, forcing them to behave and dress soberly, were also unforgettable. “Winning isn't important, but at Juve it's the only thing that matters“. Juve will never regret him enough.
