“There is a blood pact among our clubs, we will push forward.”
If ever a sentence has made a person sound even more like a James Bond villain, it was he who left Andrea Agnelli’s lips when discussing the Super League potential collapse.
And when the 12 superclubs hurriedly apologized and scrubbed away from the distasteful dinner party one by one, it became clear that these declarations of unity were a desperate solution for a man who became more and more unaffected.
Agnelli’s dream of separating Juventus from the rest of the pack and surrounding them with Europe’s finest specimens had never been closer to being realized, but years of planning counted in less than 72 hours. Now his hopes and ambitions are dashed.
He would also have gotten away with it, if it were not for those who mixed 16-24 year old children.
A painting showing Andrea Agnelli killing football has appeared overnight behind an Italian FA building in Rome.
Now it’s art pic.twitter.com/5JxMvsJN7L
– Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) April 21, 2021
The future of the Juve owner is in doubt, as his life’s work goes up in smoke before our eyes. But it did not have to be that way. On paper, he is the perfect president to lead the Bianconeri in his honor. He is a lifelong Juventino, he learned the ropes under the guidance of his own family, and he grew up watching and falling in love with calcio like all other Italian boys.
So, how has Agnelli lost sight of everything that the typical Juventus fan longs for?
The desire to be loved can do fun things for people. It’s one thing to learn at the foot of the best in the business, but it’s another thing to completely replicate that success and let honor come to you, rather than searching for it right away.
Instead, Agnelli went in search of her inheritance and lost along the way. He started strong at the club, hired Antonio Conte, successfully helped the club to their new stadium and returned I Bianconeri back to the top of Italian football.
Happy days … | AFP / Getty Images
His behind-the-scenes meetings were in place and everything was in place for Juventus to win their second Champions League trophy ever and secure Agnelli’s place in the black and white history books.
Two major European finals and two defeats later, the Champions League bus seemed to have passed Agnelii without stopping. Ever since then, he has been chasing his own story – making a series of mistakes along the way.
For the past five years, shortcuts and queue jumps have been real.
Careful planning in the transfer window has been replaced by opportunistic freebies or signings of marquees that have only increased the club’s business aspect. The 100 million euros that splashed on Cristiano Ronaldo felt like Agnelli had finally lost patience and wanted a quick fix.
Times are tough for Agnelli | GABRIEL BOUYS / Getty Images
He longed for immediate success, and it was time to go out and grab it. The gigantic purchase, which is still a drain on the club’s resources of 31 million euros per year, has returned. The squad is now suffering as a result, and the team has gone back after a flood of chops and changes in the excavation.
Agnelli fought from the proven winner Massimiliano Allegri to the entertainer Maurizio Sarri, and once he had lost faith in his instincts, he went out and bought into a fairy tale in Andrea Pirlo. Whether the Juve legend will start next season as their coach remains to be seen.
And after bleeding money in the transfer market and significantly reducing the squad’s chances of winning the Champions League, Agnelli took his ball, went home and decided to start his own game.
Unfortunately, his business acumen has proven to be as superficial as his football confidence, as over five years of work have been ruined by real football fans in under three days.
? Andrea Agnelli (Juve President): “I have never regretted signing Cristiano Ronaldo, if I could go back in time I will do it again.” Pic.twitter.com/MgRkcf0fJ4
– All Cristiano (@ EverythingCR7_) April 21, 2021
Agnelli now stands at a crossroads: hated in Italy and across Europe for trying to destroy football, despised at UEFA headquarters for being a “snake” in the words of President Alexander Ceferin and seriously questioned as the rightful leader of his beloved Juventus.
His reputation is lower than ever before, and after searching for fame and fortune, he has now permanently damaged his legacy.
