Former Juventus defender Mark Iuliano has revisited one of the most talked-about episodes in Serie A history — the infamous 1998 collision with Ronaldo Nazário during the match between Juventus and Inter. Speaking on the Versus podcast alongside his former teammate Nicola Amoruso, Iuliano offered his perspective on the long-debated incident.
The 1998 clash with Ronaldo
The moment remains etched in Italian football’s collective memory. In the second half of that decisive Scudetto showdown at the Stadio delle Alpi, the Brazilian striker appeared to be fouled by Iuliano inside the penalty area — but no penalty was given, leading to an uproar that still sparks debate decades later.
Looking back on the scene, Amoruso commented with a smile: “From this angle, it really does look like it was charging from Ronaldo, as my friend Marc says.”
Iuliano quickly clarified: “It’s not me saying it — the referee said so.”
Amoruso then added: “Would I have asked for a penalty? I don’t know. But you have to understand, Ronaldo was going at supersonic speed, so ordinary mortals can’t even see the direction properly — it’s really difficult. In Italy, people have always talked about referees and penalties, and they still do. It’s part of our culture, for better or worse. You don’t see that happening in England or Spain — we just love to debate these things. Poor Mark — we spend a lot of time together, and not a single day goes by without someone asking him about that episode. Even kids who never saw it live but hear adults talk about it.”
On Inter and Calciopoli
The conversation also turned to Calciopoli and its impact on Italian football, particularly on Inter’s later dominance. Iuliano shared his honest view:
“Would Inter have had the same successful cycle without Calciopoli? In my opinion, no. They would have achieved it eventually, because Inter became an important team with strong management and smart investments. But if Juventus hadn’t been attacked like that and sent to Serie B, it would have continued being Juventus — the most important club in Italian football for many years.
“We may have been at the end of our cycle, but we still had an incredible team, a perfect organisation, and we would have dominated for a long time. Juventus simply had no real rivals at that time — only Milan came close; the rest were far behind.”
