"My teammates saved me from an angry mob": Zidane Reveals a Frightening Story From His Juventus Days

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·12. Oktober 2025

"My teammates saved me from an angry mob": Zidane Reveals a Frightening Story From His Juventus Days

French legend recalls intense years in Turin and explains why Juventus fell short in Europe

"My teammates saved me from an angry mob": Zidane Reveals a Frightening Story From His Juventus Days

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Zinedine Zidane shared remarkable stories from his Juventus days recalling how late club owner Gianni Agnelli would call him at 6 in morning to congratulate him after matches and how teammates once protected him from angry fans.

"Agnelli Called Me at 6 AM to Say 'Bravo'"

Speaking at the Festival Dello Sport organized by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Zidane described his time in Turin as both demanding & formative:

"My years at Juventus were wonderful. In France football was beautiful but not as serious as in Italy. At Juve winning was mandatory. even if you lost away, it was unacceptable" he said.

He continued:

"After good games or goals, we’d get home around 3 or 4 AM and at 6, Agnelli would call me and say 'Congratulations' in French .. then hang up. He loved football & understood it deeply"

Zidane al Festival di Trento: "Alla Juve vincere era sì o sì" Zinedine Zidane ospite del Festival dello Sport di Trento parla del suo periodo alla Juventus e lo ricorda con un Bellissimo, e qui scatta l'Applauso del Pubblico.
– Sonntag, 12. Oktober 2025

"It Was Physically Tough ... I Had to Adapt"

Zidane admitted he initially struggled with Juventus' intense physical demands:

"I asked myself, 'Why're they pushing me so hard? I just came to play football' But then I realized I had to prepare like that for entire season"

He praised his former teammate Alessandro Del Piero as "one of the strongest and best players in Italy" adding: "I was lucky to share 4 or 5 year with him and other greats like Montero, Padovano and Boksic"

Zidane also revealed frightening incident:

"After bad away game, some fans tried to attack me at the airport but Fonseca & Montero defended me"

🗣️| Zidane on coaching, via the Festival dello Sport: I'm sure l'll coach again. Me at #Juventus? I don't know why it hasn't happened yet. I always hold the club in my heart because it gave me so much.. In the future, we’ll see, but one of my goals is to coach the French
– Sonntag, 12. Oktober 2025

Why Juventus Failed in the Champions League

Reflecting on Juve’s European heartbreaks in 1997 & 1998, Zidane said:

"The Champions League's tough. You need everything to be right ... the club, the preparation, the mindset. If you want to win, the club must be fully behind you"

Zidane won 2 Serie A titles with Juventus before joining Real Madrid in 2001 where he finally lifted the champions league trophy the following year.