Gaetano Scirea made his Serie A debut for Atalanta in the beginning of the 1972/73 season, but was transferred to Juventus only a couple of years later. He made his name there as one of the best and most respected defenders in the world game.

He won every possible honour with Juve including all three European Cups and seven Serie A titles. He also played at the same high level for Italy in three World Cups. In 1978, he and Italy beat eventual winners Argentina in the first round, but had to settle for fourth. Gaetano experienced a wonderful summer in 1982 in Spain when Italy won having struggled a lot early on drawing all three first round games to Poland, Peru and Cameroon. Then followed four straight wins over Argentina, Brazil, Poland and then West Germany in the final.

Italy failed to reach their level of 1982 when the WC was held in Mexico in 1986, with Scirea as captain. Scirea died in a car accident in Poland in 1989 while scouting for Juventus, and at Stadio Delle Alpi they have named the end after him where all Juventus’ most fanatical supporters are.