Juventus legend thrilled to be back for ‘fourth chapter’, names Gatti as his heir | OneFootball

Former Juventus captain Sergio Brio expresses his delight after recently returning to the club as a fan ambassador.

The 68-year-old was a stalwart for the Bianoneri between the late 1970s and 1980s, forming one of the most feared defensive units of all times alongside fellow legends Gaetano Scirea, Antonio Cabrini and Claudio Gentile.

The iconic defender started his career at his hometown club of Lecce before being poached by Juventus in 1974. After finding little space at the club, he was loaned out to Pistoiese between 1975 and 1978 before earning another chance at the club.

Brio also served as an assistant manager during Giovanni Trappatoni’s second tenure at the club, so he considers his recent return as the start of his fourth chapter in Turin.

“This is my fourth chapter at Juventus. The first was when I arrived from Lecce at 18: I spent time on loan at Pistoiese in Serie C and Serie B, and then I returned to Turin and stayed here for 12 years,” said the former defender in his interview with the club’s official website.

“The third life came after my playing days, when I got a call from Mister Giovanni Trapattoni, who offered me a job on his staff.

“I was studying at Coverciano at the time, to be a coach, and initially I said no because of that and because I’d planned to spend time with my family. But he insisted and, along with my wife, we agreed.

“A few years ago, I met [Juventus director] Francesco Calvo. He had the idea to involve me in something that the club care a lot about, and that I do too: the relationship with the fans. We’ve done a good job in a lot of depth trying to understand the needs of our fans, and I’m delighted to be back in the Juventus family at 68 years of age.”

Brio also revealed how much Juventus means to him as he remains eternally grateful to the club.

“It means everything. It’s my life, it’s my family. I’ve often put Juventus before my actual family, I’ve fought for this club which helped me grow into a man with people who taught you, literally, how to live. I’ll always be eternally grateful to this club and have an enormous sense of gratitude.

“For my part, I gave everything for Juventus, and I even cried for the club, just like that night in Athens.”

The legendary defender explained the dynamics at the back during the time, while identifying Marco Van Basten as his toughest opponent.

“My role had changed a lot, I played a different type of game. I was a marker, like Gentile, but it’s not true that we played defensive football. In possession, he and Cabrini pushed on, and Scirea got involved too. Gaetano had a past life as a midfielder with Atalanta, so everybody helped offensively.

“The toughest player I marked was Marco van Basten, without a doubt, he had two feet, was tall, and had a habit of moving towards his teammates so he was harder to predict and read. And if he turned you, he was gone. You couldn’t even push him onto a weak foot because he didn’t have one.”

Finally, Brio named Federico Gatti as the Juventus player who’s the most similar to him.

“I’d say Federico Gatti, he’s physically like me, but he can be even better. He has been here for two years and still has room for improvement.”