It was on 1st July of 1999 that Juventus signed 22 year old Italian Right-back Gianluca Zambrotta from Bari for an $8.8 million transfer fee. He went on to make 32 league appearances in his first season for the Bianconeri, who were managed by Carlo Ancelotti at the time.
Despite their best attempts, Juventus ended up losing the Serie A title on the final match day of the season. On 14th May 2000, they suffered a surprising 1-0 loss against Perugia, while rivals Lazio won against Reggina 3-0 to clinch the Italian league title. Juventus suffered a heartbreaking end to their season, losing the league by a single point. Zambrotta was an unfortunate villain on that final match day as well, with the Italian being brought in the second half of that game and then being sent off after receiving a red card.
The following 2000–01 season saw Zambrotta make 29 appearances and score 3 goals, despite playing in defense. Juventus were once again consistent in the league, but Zambrotta and his teammates suffered heartbreak yet again. Roma were the club to inflict misery on them this time around, as they overcame the Old Lady by 2 points to win the league.
League glory and position change
After years of heartbreak in Serie A, Zambrotta finally got his hands on the Italian League title in the 2001–02 season. He was an instrumental part of the triumph, making 32 appearances for Juve that season. The Bianconeri also managed to reach the 2002 Coppa Italia final, but ended up losing the two-legged fixture to Parma on away goals rule.
Zambrotta later suffered an injury during Italy's game against South Korea in the 2002 World Cup, which led to him missing the beginning of the 2002–03 Serie A campaign. His absence was taken advantage of by new Juve signing Mauro Camoranesi, took his place on the right wing and put in superb displays. Due to these run of events, then Bianconeri coach Marcelo Lippi switched Zambrotta to the left-back when he returned to action. The Italian defender adapted to his new position quickly and performed excellently. Zambrotta showcased excellence in terms of pace, stamina, work-rate, technical ability, tactical intelligence and versatility. His outstanding contributions both offensively and defensively made him a key player for Juventus.
Golden era and unfortunate departure
Zambrotta and Juve regained their league title in the 2002-03 campaign, and even managed to reach the 2003 Champions League final. Italian rivals Milan were their rivals in the final, and the tight encounter ended in a penalty-shootout that was won by the Rossoneri. Juventus thus had their European dreams end in a nightmare.
The Old Lady managed to take revenge on Milan 2003 Supercoppa Italiana though, where they ironically beat them through penalties. Zambrotta and his teammates managed to reach the 2004 Coppa Italia final that season, but ended up losing to Lazio 4-2. They also failed to regain the league title or make significant progress in Europe.
Zambrotta enjoyed more success in the following years with Juventus, and eventually won 4 Serie A titles with them. In the 2005–06 season, an injury to teammate Jonathan Zebina and the arrival of new signing Giorgio Chiellini led to Zambrotta being shifted back to his original right-back position. Since then, Zambrotta switched between right and left-fullback or wingback positions frequently throughout the season, thus displaying his excellence as a squad player.
Although the Italian right-back extended his Juve contract till 2010 in 2005, the infamous Calciopoli scandal led to his unfortunate departure from the club. Juve's 2004–05 and 2005–06 Serie A League titles under Fabio Capello were revoked due the scandal, and Zambrotta eventually joined Barcelona in the summer of 2006 for €14 million.
That was the end of Zambrotta's wild 7 years with the Old Lady, as he departed by leaving his mark as one of their finest defenders in history.
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