In an explosive interview with Il Foglio (as quoted by Calciomercato), former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi criticised the club’s current direction, claiming John Elkann will eventually sell Juventus and lamenting the loss of the old Agnelli-era leadership. Moggi, who oversaw one of the club’s most successful periods, also hinted he would be “ready for anything” if called upon to return.
“He Will Sell Juventus”
Moggi left no doubt about his opinion on Elkann’s intentions and devotion to the club.
“He will also sell Juventus. Everyone says it — not only Repubblica and La Stampa, not only Iveco. Elkann has never shown a real involvement in Juventus. He financed it, yes. He made capital increases, he put money in when it was needed. But a football club does not live on capital alone. It lives on competence, vision, and presence. And when those things are missing, money becomes a crutch, not a project.”
“Juventus Was Born to Win”
Turning his focus to the management choices since his departure, Moggi spared no criticism.
“Juventus was not born to take part, it was born to win. Beppe Marotta? Incredible that they let him go. And it’s astonishing that Fiat abandoned Turin even before the team did. Juventus matters, of course. But Fiat was a system. Juventus has fallen into mediocrity because it doesn’t have a management structure worthy of the situation.
“If you hire a director and sack him after two years, it means you either made a mistake hiring him or a mistake not supporting him. Either way, you made a mistake. Who are Juventus’s leaders now? They’re all French, I don’t even know them. I heard one of them used to work in tennis. You hardly know whether to laugh or cry.”
Asked whether he would ever consider returning, Moggi’s answer was unambiguous: “For Juventus, I am ready for anything.”
Elkann and Football
When questioned about Elkann’s real relationship with football, Moggi shrugged. The interviewer reminded him of an anecdote shared by Michel Platini.
“They say Elkann never truly understood football. Platini often tells a small but revealing story. It was a charity match. Elkann came on, and after a few minutes, he was out of breath, asked to be substituted, and sat next to Platini. After recovering, he asked to go back in. Platini looked at him and said: ‘You know, this isn’t basketball.’”
Moggi laughed at the story. “That’s a typical Platini joke. Plausible.”
The bond between the Agnelli family and football, he argued, had been far stronger under Gianni and Umberto. “Gianni Agnelli would call me at five in the morning:
“Commander, any news?’ Then his brother, Dr. Agnelli — Umberto — would call. Few words, often none at all. The Lawyer didn’t explain; he understood. He had the instinct of men before matches. When Umberto decided to take charge of Juventus, it was because he understood that Boniperti’s cycle had ended. That’s when he called Moggi–Bettega–Giraudo, the Triad. We won everything.”
“It Was About Building Value”
Moggi recalled Juventus’s triumphs during his era with pride. “Our satisfaction wasn’t about spending. It was about buying Zidane for five and selling him for 150 after winning every competition. I once watched a friendly in Portugal and saw a 17-year-old called Cristiano Ronaldo. I had signed him, but it fell through because Marcelo Salas refused to move. Remember the 2006 World Cup final? That Italy–France match was between Juventus A and Juventus B.”
The Lost Heir of the Agnellis
For Moggi, the true heir of the Agnelli dynasty was the late Giovannino. “He already had important responsibilities at a young age and a different attachment to Juventus. With him, the course would have been different — maybe not necessarily better, but certainly coherent. Even the Lawyer inherited everything, yes, but he had a long apprenticeship; he made mistakes and learned. Not here: everything came all at once, immediately.
“When inheritance isn’t lived but simply managed, symbols become interchangeable. It’s the final link in a chain that broke long before.”
Moggi also reflected on Andrea Agnelli’s era. “Andrea may have made mistakes, perhaps spent too much, I don’t know. But nine consecutive league titles are not a detail. Elkann groomed sports justice in the right direction. The same thing happened to me, Bettega, and Giraudo. With Andrea Agnelli, the idea that Juventus was a home to inhabit, not just an asset to manage, ended once and for all.”
