Sept 19 (Askume) – Antonio Conte is excited about returning to Juventus as Napoli boss this weekend and says he is proud of the role he played in the Turin club’s history as he led the club to multiple Serie A titles.
As a player, Conte won Serie A and five Champions League titles with Juventus, while as a coach he won three titles with Italy’s top flight between 2011-12 and 2013-14, ending their nine-year championship reign.
Conte last visited Turin as an opposition manager during the COVID-19 pandemic, when his Inter Milan side lost the final game of the season without fans in the stadium even though the team had previously won the championship.
Conte said: “My past is clear, I was at Juventus for 13 years as a player, captained them for many years and won almost everything. I also had the opportunity to coach them for three years, winning nine Serie A league titles.”
“I am part of Juventus’ history because of what I have done and given them. It is easy to stay at one club throughout your career… but it is impossible to decide on a career as a coach.
“Today I am happy to coach a team like Napoli. For me, coming from the south, it is a feeling of pride and satisfaction. There will be many emotions to return to that stadium because it is the last time I will coach Napoli. “During the Covid-19 pandemic, they are back.
Napoli are second, behind leaders Udinese, while Juve are fourth, one point behind Conte’s side.
Juventus are coached by Thiago Motta, who played for Antonio Conte on the Italian national team, and who won the Scudetto for the first time in the club’s history after leading Bologna to fifth place last season in Turin.
“Thiago Motta is working with a huge legacy… being a coach is no small feat and it is important to make people win, like at AC Milan or Inter Milan,” Conte said.
“He was one of my players in the national team at the European Championships. He made me laugh, but it also made me a bit sad because I’m getting older,” he said with a laugh.
“He did well at Bologna so I wish him all the best from a human point of view, but not against us.”
