Juventus — the “Old Lady” of Italian soccer — was set to inaugurate its new 41,000-seat stadium built at a cost of $170 million with much fanfare on Thursday. But why on earth was it openingagainst an English third division club?
The connection between Juventus and Notts County dates back to 1903 when Juve needed jerseys to replace its faded pink ones and someone inNottingham sent it jerseys in the black-and-white stripes of Notts County. Officials of the English club had broached the idea of Juve coming to England for a friendly to commemorate Notts County’s150th anniversary next year, but they were surprised to get an invite to play in the Juve stadium gala in response.
The invitation was “an opportunity of a lifetime,” according to captainNeal Bishop, and chief executive Jim Rodwell admitted the tiny club was “a little bit shell-shocked by the whole thing.”Notts County will have to return to England and play Walsall in League One on Saturday. That’s no problem for Bishop, who hopes to return with a black-and-white jersey, a Juve black-and-white jersey,preferably star Alessandro Del Piero‘s jersey.
“If I am anywhere near Del Piero,” said Bishop, “I will be ripping it off his back before anyoneelse can get close to him.”