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ACF Fiorentina–Juventus FC rivalry

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ACF Fiorentina–Juventus FC rivalry
Fiorentina
Juventus
First meeting7 October 1928
Divisione Nazionale
Juventus 11–0 Fiorentina
Latest meeting29 December 2024
Serie A
Juventus 2–2 Fiorentina
Next meeting15 March 2025
Serie A
Fiorentina v Juventus
StadiumsStadio Artemio Franchi (Fiorentina)
Allianz Stadium (Juventus)
Statistics
Meetings totalOfficial matches: 193
Unofficial matches: 1
Total matches: 194
Most winsOfficial matches: Juventus (91)
Unofficial matches: Fiorentina (1)
Total matches: Juventus (91)
Largest victoryJuventus 11–0 Fiorentina
Divisione Nazionale
(7 October 1928)
Fiorentina
Juventus

The ACF Fiorentina–Juventus FC rivalry is an inter-city football rivalry contested between Florence-based Fiorentina and Turin-based Juventus. Unlike most other football derbies, this one is borne not out of geographical proximity (such as the Derby della Madonnina); political differences (El Clásico); or longstanding competitiveness (Liverpool–Manchester United rivalry), but rather is a development from the latter decades of the 20th century based on local patriotism, or campanilismo, bitterness and accusations of 'thievery'.[1][2]

The rivalry has been fuelled by their controversial meetings in cup finals, and competition in the transfer market.[3] A player transferring from one club to the other, especially from Florence to Turin, is usually branded a 'traitor' by fans.

Juventus is the most successful team in Italian football, winning 36 league titles, 14 Coppa Italia titles and nine Supercoppa Italiana titles, all national records. Fiorentina, meanwhile, has won two league titles, six Coppa Italia titles, and one Supercoppa Italiana.

Background

[edit]

To some extent the rivalry has its origins in the fans of the local teams in Tuscany, as in many other areas of Italy, growing tired of seeing people from their towns heading off to support the country's most successful teams, primarily Juventus.[4] Like many of Europe's biggest clubs, the Bianconeri have attracted followers from far and wide, but the Renaissance town of Florence remained true to Fiorentina.[5] In addition to this and the typical aspect of pride between the residents of two important cities, Juventus had beaten Fiorentina 11–0 in their first league meeting in 1928, a humiliating result which had not been forgotten by either set of fans despite the passage of time.[6] They also contested the 1960 Coppa Italia final, won by Juve.

1981–82 Serie A title

[edit]

In 1980, Fiorentina was bought by Flavio Pontello, a man from a rich house-building family who had aspirations to bring the Viola its third title and built the team around Italian star, Giancarlo Antognoni. On the final day of the 1981–82 Serie A season, with both teams competing for the national championship, a series of debatable decisions in two different matches intensified the rivalry.[1][6] Heading into the last game, both teams were level on 44 points at the top of the table; Fiorentina went to relegation-threatened Cagliari, who needed a point to survive, while Juventus headed to Catanzaro, in seventh position with nothing to play for. Fiorentina had a goal disallowed for a push on the opposing goalkeeper as Cagliari managed to play out a 0–0 draw to steer clear of relegation.[2][3] In Calabria, Catanzaro were denied a penalty while Juventus were awarded one, from which they scored to win 1–0 and claim their 20th scudetto[1] In the aftermath, Fiorentina's playmaker Giancarlo Antognoni famously remarked, 'Ci hanno rubato il titolo', meaning 'They have stolen the title'.[1][7] The Viola tifosi soon coined a saying, 'meglio secondo che ladri', meaning 'better to be second than thieves'.[2]

1989–90 UEFA Cup final

[edit]

Juventus won two more championships in the 1980s, while Fiorentina had inconsistent fortunes. In 1985, Fiorentina bought Roberto Baggio, an 18-year-old striker, from Vicenza, for 2.7 billion lire (£1.5 million).[8] Considered one of the leading players of the league, he led Fiorentina to the final of the 1989–90 UEFA Cup, setting up the first all-Italian final in the history of the tournament against their arch-nemesis Juventus. Both sides had had close encounters with German teams in the semi-finals, Fiorentina beating Werder Bremen on away goals, and Juventus pipping 1. FC Köln 3–2.

The final was to be played over two legs, with the first leg to be held in Turin, while the second was held in Stadio Partenio in Avellino – Fiorentina's home stadium was under renovation for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, and the fixture was originally moved to the Stadio Renato Curi in Perugia, fairly close to Florence, but was then moved further away as punishment for supporters having staged a pitch invasion during the Werder Bremen tie.[3] Avellino, despite being in Southern Italy, was a town with many fans of the Bianconeri and this concerned the Viola supporters. However, worries turned to anger when, with the score tied 1–1 in Turin, officials missed an apparent push by Juventus' Pierluigi Casiraghi on Fiorentina's Celeste Pin, allowing Angelo Alessio's deflected shot to fire the home side in front.[3][6] Juventus ended up winning 3–1, and during the post-match interview, Pin was heard shouting 'ladri' (thieves) at Juventus' manager Dino Zoff.[5] Between the two legs, Juventus' goalkeeper Stefano Tacconi reminded Fiorentina that, while they might win the war of words, his side would win on the pitch. The second leg ended 0–0, and Juventus became the first Italian team (sixth across Europe) to win two UEFA Cup titles.[2]

Transfer of Roberto Baggio

[edit]

Pontello was suffering from economic difficulties by this time, and was considering the sale of the club's prized asset: Roberto Baggio. Juventus were the club willing to pay a then world-record fee of 25 billion lire (£8 million), the world record transfer for a footballer at the time.[9] His transfer led to severe riots in the streets of Florence and fans laid siege to the club's headquarters;[6] reports described bricks, chains and Molotov cocktails being thrown. In the two days following the transfer, Pontello was forced to take refuge in the Stadio Artemio Franchi, while 50 injuries and nine arrests were recorded. Baggio was called a 'traitor', but he still held the city of Florence and its football team close to his heart. On his return to his former home, he refused to take a penalty awarded to Juventus[3] and was seen embracing a Viola scarf thrown by the Florentine supporters while waving it in the direction of the Curva Fiesole, the stronghold of the club's ultras.[5][2] While this endeared him to the Fiorentina followers, it caused a rift between him and Juventus supporters.[6]

1990s and 2000s

[edit]

Fiorentina were relegated in 1993, and although they made it back the very next year, the rivalry took on a somewhat one-sided dimension in the following years. Both sides had scandals to deal with in the 2000s, as Fiorentina declared bankruptcy in June 2002 and was re-established by the della Valle brothers in August 2002 as Associazione Calcio Fiorentina e Fiorentina Viola, playing in Serie C2, the fourth tier of Italian football. Former Juventus player, Angelo di Livio, was the only player to remain at the club as they returned to top-flight football in two years. Both teams, among others, were implicated in the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, which relegated Juventus to Serie B, and revoked their last two titles. Fiorentina meanwhile were given a 15-point penalty applied to the next season.

In 2012, the hierarchies of the two clubs clashed after Juventus made a late bid to hijack Fiorentina's pursuit of Dimitar Berbatov.[3] In the end, the Bulgarian snubbed both clubs for Fulham, but this did not stop the Fiorentina owners from claiming their rivals 'knew nothing of the values of honesty, fair play and sporting ethics.'[1][2]

Late 2010s and 2020s

[edit]

History repeated itself for Fiorentina in the summer of 2017, with the della Valle brothers looking to sell the club but with no takers. Many top players, including Matías Vecino, Gonzalo Rodríguez, Borja Valero, and Ciprian Tătărușanu were released or sold as the owners wanted to recoup funds rather than invest in the club. They wished to renew the contract of local star, Federico Bernardeschi, but he was unwilling to renew his deal with Fiorentina and instead secured a transfer to rivals Juventus for €40 million on a five-year deal.[10][11] Fans responded with vulgar banners saying "A chi non piacerebbe sputarti in faccia... Bernardeschi gobbo di merda", which translates to "Who wouldn't like to spit in your face, Bernardeschi you shitty hunchback".[12] On 9 February 2018, Bernardeschi returned to Florence, receiving vulgar insults throughout the match. He scored a free kick in the second half to silence the crowd.[13] Due to his departure, Fiorentina looked to build their squad around their new academy recruit, Federico Chiesa, who had played in the Fiorentina system since 2007. However, in 2020, Chiesa followed Bernardeschi to Turin on loan (with an obligation to buy worth €50 million) and was met with banners calling him despicable and a traitor.[14][15] In the January transfer window in 2022, young Fiorentina striker Dušan Vlahović's contract was set to expire in the summer of 2023, and with his unwillingness to sign a new deal, was transferred to Juventus for €75 million. Fiorentina president, Rocco Commisso, who wanted to transfer the striker abroad, slammed Vlahović and his agents saying "It was clear he already had a deal ... He said no to every offer. I went to England many times, each time he said no ... he wanted to ruin Fiorentina".[16] As with the previous transfers, various insulting banners were put out by the Fiorentina fans, this time with a stronger, more-threatening tone.[17][18]

Official matches

[edit]
  • SF = Semi-finals
  • QF = Quarter-finals
  • R16 = Round of 16
  • R32 = Round of 32
  • GS = Group stage
  • R1 = Round 1
  • R2 = Round 2

  Fiorentina win   Draw   Juventus win

Head-to-head ranking in Serie A (1930–2024)

[edit]
P. 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
10 10 10 10
11 11
12 12 12 12 12 12
13 13 13 13 13 13
14
15
16 16 16 16 16
17 17 17
18
19
20 20

• Total: Fiorentina with 10 higher finishes, Juventus with 74 higher finishes, and 2 equal finishes (as of the end of the 2023–24 season). No head-to-heads in six seasons, since Fiorentina and Juventus were in Serie B respectively in five and one (2007) of those.

Notes:

Statistics

[edit]
As of 29 December 2024
Total matches
played 		Juventus
wins 		Draws Fiorentina
wins 		Juventus
goals 		Fiorentina
goals
Divisione Nazionale 2 2 0 0 15 0
Serie A 171 83 54 34 274 179
Total (league) 173 85 54 34 289 179
Coppa Italia 16 6 4 6 26 25
UEFA Cup 4 2 2 0 5 2
Total (official) 193 93 60 40 320 206
Other meetings 1 0 0 1 0 1
Total 194 93 60 41 320 207

Players who have played for both clubs

[edit]
As of January 2022

Transferred before the 1981–82 season

[edit]
Player Years at Fiorentina[a] Years at Juventus[b] Direct Ref.
Sergio Cervato 1948–1959 1959–1961 Yes [20]
Antonello Cuccureddu 1981–1984 1969–1981 Yes [20]
Kurt Hamrin 1958–1967 1956–1957 No [20]
Enzo Robotti 1957–1965 1956–1957 Yes [20]
Giuliano Sarti 1954–1963 1968–1969 No [20]

Transferred after the 1981–82 season

[edit]
Player Years at Fiorentina[c] Years at Juventus[d] Direct Ref.
Alberto Aquilani 2012–2015 2010–2011 No [20]
Roberto Baggio 1985–1990 1990–1995 Yes [2][3][20][21]
Federico Balzaretti 2007–2008 2005–2007 Yes [20]
Federico Bernardeschi 2014–2017[e] 2017–2022 Yes [10]
Valeri Bojinov 2005–2006 2006–2007 Yes [20]
Giorgio Chiellini 2004–2005 2005–2022 Yes [3][20][21]
Federico Chiesa 2016–2020 2020– Yes [20]
Juan Cuadrado 2012–2015 2015–2023 Yes [20][21]
Claudio Gentile 1984–1987 1973–1984 Yes [20]
Angelo di Livio 1999–2005 1993–1999 Yes [3][21]
Marco Marchionni 2009–2012 2006–2009 Yes [22]
Enzo Maresca 2004–2005 2000–2004 Yes [21]
Felipe Melo 2008–2009 2009–2013 Yes [3][20][22][21]
Fabrizio Miccoli 2004–2005 2002–2004 Yes [20][21]
Adrian Mutu 2006–2011 2005–2006 Yes [20]
Neto 2011–2015 2015–2017 Yes [20][21]
Paulo Sousa 2015–2017[f] 1994–1996 No [21]
Marco Storari 2008–2009 2010–2015 No [20]
Luca Toni 2005–2007
2012–2013[g] 		2011–2012 Yes [20]
Moreno Torricelli 1998–2002 1992–1998 Yes [3][21]
Pietro Vierchowod 1981–1982 1995–1996 No [20]
Christian Vieri 2007–2008 1996–1997 No [20]
Dušan Vlahović 2018–2022 2022– Yes [20]
Cristiano Zanetti 1993–1996
2009–2011[h] 		2006–2009 Yes [20]
Nicolás González 2021–2024 2024– Yes [23]
  1. ^ Single spell as a player unless otherwise stated.
  2. ^ Single spell as a player unless otherwise stated.
  3. ^ Single spell as a player unless otherwise stated.
  4. ^ Single spell as a player unless otherwise stated.
  5. ^ Senior years; played in Fiorentina's youth system from 2003.
  6. ^ As manager.
  7. ^ Two spells
  8. ^ Two spells

Trophies

[edit]
As of 15 May 2024
Team Major domestic International Grand total
SA CI SCI National Total CL CWC EL USC UIC IC FCWC International Total
Juventus 36 15 9 60 2 1 3 2 1 2 — 11 71
Fiorentina 2 6 1 9 — 1 — — — — — 1 10

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Fiorentina Club Focus: Anatomy of a rivalry". Forza Italian Football. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Hodges-Ramon, Luca (13 January 2017). "Fiorentina v Juventus: a rivalry stoked by 'theft', Roberto Baggio and machine guns". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Juventus e Fiorentina, un po' di storie" [Juventus and Fiorentina, a few of the stories]. Il Post (in Italian). 20 March 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Sondaggio demos, gli italiani non credono piu nostro calcio" [Poll Demos, Italians no longer believe in our football]. Termometro Politico (in Italian). 2 October 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Juventus vs Fiorentina: A rivalry based on bitterness, rather than geography". FourFourTwo. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Fiorentina-Juve, storia di una rivalità totale" [Fiorentina-Juve, history of a total rivalry]. Sky Italia (in Italian). 15 January 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  7. ^ "La Fiorentina e lo scudetto sfiorato" [Fiorentina and the scudetto they touched]. Storie di Calcio (in Italian). 26 December 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  8. ^ "I giocatori che hanno fatto la storia della Fiorentina: Roberto Baggio" [The players who made the history of Fiorentina: Roberto Baggio] (in Italian). FiorentinaCalcio.net. 7 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  9. ^ "The history of the world transfer record". BBC Sport. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Bernardeschi is a Bianconero!". juventus.com. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  11. ^ "BREAKING NEWS: Bernardeschi joins Juventus for €40m". FourFourTwo. 24 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  12. ^ "CALCIO, FIORENTINA; STRISCIONE CONTRO BERNARDESCHI: 'GOBBO DI M...'" (in Italian). sport.repubblica.it.
  13. ^ "Bernardeschi haunts Fiorentina as Juventus go top". The World Game. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  14. ^ "Chiesa alla Juve, ora è ufficiale!". corrieredellosport.it.
  15. ^ "Bufera Chiesa, contestazione a Firenze: "Traditore". Foto e video". corrieredellosport.it.
  16. ^ Campanale, Susy (February 1, 2022). "Commisso slams Vlahovic, agents, Juventus and Fiorentina fans".
  17. ^ ""Gobbo di m...": la furia dei tifosi della Fiorentina contro Vlahovic". Sportmediaset.it.
  18. ^ "Vlahovic verso la Juventus, striscioni di insulti a Firenze". timgate.it.
  19. ^ "Fiorentina: Partite ufficiale: Totale" [Fiorentina: Matches Played - Overall]. My Juve. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Uno scontro di religione: i doppi ex di Fiorentina e Juve" [A clash of religion: the doubles of Fiorentina and Juve]. Il Postipico (in Italian). 12 January 2017. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Fiorentina-Juve: rivali in campo, non sul mercato" [Fiorentina-Juve, rivals on the field but not in the market]. Sky Italia (in Italian). 13 January 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  22. ^ a b "Juventus snare Felipe Melo". UEFA. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  23. ^ "Gonzalez sold to Juventus". ACF Fiorentina. 25 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
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