Just two days after Alessandro Birindelli’s appearance at the Juventus Club Vero Amore, local fans of the Bianconeri were given another treat last night as two of the club’s old stalwarts, former Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids and Ciro Ferrara, the former Italy defender, visited the supporters’ club in Birkirkara.

Both players were greeted with a loud applause as they unveiled a plaque commemorating 40 years since the supporters club’s birth in the presence of president Joe Fenech, a milestone achieved by the biggest Juve fan branch outside Italy.

Ferrara, who also had a short spell as Juventus coach in 2009, jogged down memory lane as he spoke about his playing days with a broad smile on his face.

The 47-year-old recalled his eight Serie A titles, two of which were won at Napoli prior to his move up north.

With that, Ferrara added that “the Champions League win of 1996 will never be forgotten and Juventus showed their worth as they won the Intercontinental Cup that same year.”

Marcello Lippi was in charge at the time and Ferrara reserved praise for his former manager, who also led Italy to the World Cup title in 2006.

Capped 49 times by the Azzurri, Ferrara also added that he wished the Juve club all the success in the world “for the next 100 years or more.”

Davids, on the other hand, touched on football’s evolution in the last two decades, joking that “there cannot be another Edgar Davids. The game has evolved and it is much faster today.

“Positions are different and a midfielder’s job has changed.”

The Dutchman earned a reputation as one of football’s fearsome characters as he charged his opponents down and chased every ball.

Nicknamed ‘Pitbull’ by his former Ajax manager Louis van Gaal, now in charge of Manchester United, Davids, 42, expressed his pride at being included in Pele’s FIFA 100 club in 2004. He attributed his success to “the great team at Juventus” and all his team-mates.

“I did it for Juve and it was a great achievement,” Davids said.

Davids made 74 appearances for the Netherlands.

Ferrara and Davids went on to sign various memorabilia for the club, and also posed for photographs with most of the fans present at the Juve Club Vero Amore premises.

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