It has been a quarter of a century years since Gianluca Vialli hoisted the iconic trophy to the sky in Rome as Juventus last won the Champions League.
Since then, Juve have been cursed when it comes to Europe's premier club competition, and have started this season's competition with back to back 2-1 losses to PSG and Benfica. There has been near misses and group stage disasters, wonderful teams, brilliant players, but ultimately endless heartache.
Here is a rundown of the curse of the Old Lady on her travels.
Getty1995-96: THE LAST TRIUMPH
On May 22, 1996, Gianluca Vialli raised the Champions League trophy high above his head.
The second "Champions Cup" for Juventus, the first triumph since the trophy took on its current name and changed its formula. A triumph that Juventus has not been able to repeat.
From the following year onwards, they experienced many disappointments, making it to the final five times and losing each time, unable to break what seems more and more like a curse.
Rome, May 22, 1996
AJAX 1-1 JUVENTUS (2-4 pens)
SCORERS: 13' Ravanelli (J), 41' Litmanen (A)
PENALTY KICK SEQUENCE: Davids (saved), Ferrara (goal), Litmanen (goal), Pessotto (goal), Scholten (goal), Padovano (goal), Silooy (saved), Jugovic (goal)
JUVENTUS XI: Peruzzi, Torricelli, Ferrara, Vierchowod, Pessotto; Paulo Sousa (57' Di Livio), Deschamps, Conte (44' Jugovic), Del Piero, Vialli, Ravanelli (77' Padovano).
Bench: Rampulla, Porrini.
Coach: Marcello Lippi
AdvertisementGetty1996-97: DEFEAT IN THE FINAL
One year after that triumph, Juve had the chance to make it two Champions League successes in a row.
With the departure of Vialli, Fabrizio Ravanelli, Pietro Vierchowod and Paulo Sousa, Juve fielded a young team, dragged to the final by the talent of Zinedine Zidane, Nicola Amoruso and Christian Vieri.
After overpowering Ajax in the semi-finals, the Bianconeri faced Borussia Dortmund as huge favourites.
In the final, however, something went wrong: former Lazio player Karl-Heinz Riedle scores a brace.
Lippi, perhaps too late, sent Alessandro Del Piero on and the Italian star halved the deficit with a nice heel. It was all in vain though, because Lars Ricken stunned Angelo Peruzzi and all of Juventus with a lovely lob to finish the match
Munich, 28 May 1997
BORUSSIA DORTMUND 3-1 JUVENTUS
Scorers: 29' Riedle (B), 34' Riedle (B), 65 'Del Piero (J), 71' Ricken (B)
JUVENTUS: Peruzzi; Porrini (46 'Del Piero), Ferrara, Montero, Iuliano; Di Livio, Deschamps, Jugovic; Zidane; Vieri (71' Amoruso), Boksic (87' Tacchinardi).
Bench: Rampulla, Pessotto.
Coach: Lippi
Getty1997-98: SECOND CONSECUTIVE MISERY
A year after the disappointment of Monaco, Juve get to a third final in a row.
The Bianconeri win the Scudetto, dragged by an amazing Del Piero and a Zidane chasing the Ballon d'Or.
The European campaign is also convincing: five goals against Dynamo Kiev in the quarter-finals, and six past Monaco in the next round. The conditions for the triumph are all there.
This time, in Amsterdam, they take on Real Madrid: Predrag Mijatovic will prove to be the executioner of Lippi's team with a goal still never digested by the Juventus fans as they claim he was in an offside position.
Amsterdam, 20 May 1998
JUVENTUS 0-1 REAL MADRID
SCORER: 67' Mijatovic (R)
JUVENTUS (4-3-1-2): Peruzzi; Torricelli, Iuliano, Montero, Pessotto (70' Fonseca); Di Livio (46' Tacchinardi), Deschamps (77' Conte), Davids; Zidane; Del Piero, Inzaghi.
Bench: Rampulla, Birindelli, Dimas, Amoruso.
Coach: Lippi
Getty1998-99: ELIMINATION IN THE SEMI-FINAL
With Zidane fresh from his Ballon d'Or victory, the Bianconeri pass the group stage and the quarter-finals, where they get the better of Olympiakos.
It is the year of Del Piero's bad injury, but despite that upset, the Turin side secure a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the first leg semi-final.
The return match immediately goes well thanks to a brace from Pippo Inzaghi, but then the imponderable happens and the team led by Carlo Ancelotti suffers the return of the Red Devils, who find two goals in the first half and definitively seal the deal with seven minutes left.
The star attackers Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole deprive Juve of a place in the final this time.
Turin, 21 April 1999
JUVENTUS 2-3 MANCHESTER UNITED
SCORES: 6 'Inzaghi (I), 11' Inzaghi (I), 24 'Keane (M), 34'
JUVENTUS (4-4-1-1): Peruzzi; Birindelli (46 'Amoruso), Ferrara, Iuliano (46' Montero), Pessotto; Conte, Deschamps, Davids, Di Livio (80' Fonseca); Zidane; Inzaghi.
Bench: Rampulla, Tudor, Tacchinardi, Esnaider.
Coach: Ancelotti
