Juventus Stadium Opening Ceremony – Simply No Words…

Adam Digby    (in attendance at the stadium)

There are no words – or if there are then they most certainly are not in my vocabulary- with which to share the emotions felt within our new home tonight. I’ve been to new stadia before, hell, I’ve been to new a Juve stadium before and they are, almost without exception, huge soulless bowls in which the clinical cleanliness and sheer size mean both teams are, to all intents and purposes, playing in what feels like a neutral venue.

Make no mistake, this was different. From an opening ceremony that, putting emotion aside a moment, catered perfectly for a success starved fan base. But with nods to the incredible past achievements of the club, counting 29 not 27 Scudetto wins, the tributes to the heroes who have played at the club and of course a poignant tribute to the fallen of the Heysel tragedy, it was immaculately conceived and perfectly executed.

The symbolic passing of our famous black and white shirt from tonight’s opponents to the current Juventus was also a wonderful touch. In the end the game felt like the sideshow, for once the old adage of location, location, location applied to a game of football. There’s no place like home? You better believe it!

Juventus.com    (translated by Marco Pantanella from the original Italian)

Being a Juventus supporter is something special, but human nature sometimes leads to take these privileges for granted. Occasionally something happens though, a moment in life which makes us open our eyes, sit up, and take notice. That moment is magic, for it reveals how lucky we are and it is a moment that fills us with happiness and gratitude for the luck that nature bestowed upon us.

Tonight we are extremely glad. And eternally grateful to our parents, who have born us and brought us up as Juventini. Because after what we witnessed tonight our eyes were not only opened, they blinked repeatedly with a sense of wonder. Got damp from tears of emotion. It has filled our souls with immense pride.

We have waited a long time for this moment: our brand new stadium. We followed its construction step by step, always aware that while those walls and masts were being brought up, something incredible was coming to life. Tonight we got proof of that. Juventus Stadium opened its doors to the world, with a spectacle worthy of its grandeur.

A magnificent show, but also an intimate one. A show which managed to tie the majesty of the choreographies with the powerful emotional impact of tradition. For when 400 extras, dancing on the field with the eyes of 41,000 fans upon them, painted with their colored outfits a giant Number 6, our hearts were brought to a stop, and Gaetano Scirea entered the new stadium as best could be. Side by side to his many teammates and other Bianconeri stars in attendance.

Every emotion, every sentiment exploded with force. As we witnessed the parade of all our trophies we felt pride. Thousands of Juventini hands spiritually wrapped around those of Andrea Agnelli, as he grabbed the scissors with which he cut that ribbon to officially open the new Juventus stadium.

We were lulled by the words of Boniperti and Del Piero, by the images of Gianni and Umberto Ugnelli, expressing for them an intense moment of deep affection and attachment. We were moved when torches of fire reminded us of 39 of our Juventini brothers who are no longer with us.

We laughed, cried, screamed, applauded. We united in a collective embrace, we ourselves became spectacle. It was like a spell, for which the magic formula suddenly appeared onto the pitch, illuminating the Turin night. “Welcome Home”. Our home.

Tune in later for more JuventiKnows coverage of the ceremony, and check out our Juventus vs. Notts County full play-by-play and match report.
 

The FULL Ceremony