Juventus has regained its Glory

It’s official: Juventus isn’t just back on top. They may be better than ever.

Make no mistake: by now, the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal that saw Juventus stripped of titles and relegated to Serie B following the 2006 season is now a distant memory. The team regained a spot in Serie A just the next season, after all. However, that wasn’t the end of the comeback story, as Juventus still took time to regain its historically consistent dominance of the top division.

Well, by now it’s safe to say that dominance has been reestablished. Juventus, having just wrapped up a third straight Serie A title, is on one of the most remarkable runs in its long and impressive history. The club’s 2013-2014 Champions League campaign may have been disappointing (ending in the group stage), but the club has sprinted away with the Serie A title and looks poised for a strong Champions League run next season. Veteran stars Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, and Gianluigi Buffon have helped to set the tone with young stars like Paul Pogba set to take the reins when necessary (provided he stays in Italy!).

Naturally, the club’s winning (and clean) ways over the past few seasons have also helped to repair relationships with a fan base that had cause to be disappointed for more than a few years. Promotion back to Serie A was not the end of the battle in this regard, but it’s now safe to say that Juve has regained its standing among supporters. In fact, the club has even opened itself up to a few fun new promotions in the past few seasons, designed to provide new experiences for supporters.

And then of course, there’s the value of the club. Despite the mid-2000s scandal and gradual recovery, it hasn’t really taken a hit. The club maintains major partnerships with Nike and JEEP for uniform design and advertisement, and also has sponsorships in place with a number of the biggest players in European football, from Samsung to Bwin. Due to these partnerships, as well as continued support from fans and success on the field, Juve has remained one of the most highly valued teams on the planet. As Per the Forbes rankings of most valuable football clubs in the world from 2013—the most recent definitive ranking of club value—Juventus placed 8th in the world with, at the time, a $694 million valuation (which has since increased notably). Naturally, this will only help the club to continue to improve on its success.

Most of all this has happened gradually. But following a third consecutive league title, it’s time to look at the big picture: Juventus is back among the elite in European football.

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