Juventus honour Manninger with pre-match tribute before Bologna | OneFootball

Allianz Stadium fell silent on Saturday as Juventus marked Alex Manninger’s memory before facing Bologna, following the former goalkeeper’s death in a car crash in Austria earlier in the week.

Football Italia reports that Manninger spent four years with Juventus from 2008 to 2012, and made 42 appearances across all competitions while winning a Scudetto. He was part of the side’s climb back to the summit after relegation to Serie B.

In the warm-up, all three Juventus goalkeepers, Michele Di Gregorio, Simone Scaglia and Carlo Pinsoglio, wore number 13 shirts bearing his name. The gesture drew sustained applause around the ground.

Before kick-off, Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini carried a floral wreath to the home end inscribed with the words “Ciao Alex”. Television pictures showed Buffon visibly moved, having already shared his grief on social media.

A stadium address then lauded Manninger as loyal, exemplary and of great worth, a team-mate who helped the group return to winning step by step, and pledged he would never be forgotten at their home. A minute’s silence followed as the match briefly waited.

Source: Football Italia