An exciting week lies in wait for the Juventus fans in Malta.
Thrilled by the prospect of watching their team being crowned Serie A champions for the fifth year running, the local Bianconeri will get the chance to toast a former club talisman as David Trezeguet will be making a two-day visit to Malta this week as guest of the Sta Venera-based Juve Club Vero Amore.
“Trezeguet is a Juventus icon,” Joseph Fenech, president of the Juve Club Vero Amore, told a news conference yesterday. “He was one of the leading players who stayed with Juventus when the club was demoted to the Serie B in 2006.
“His imminent visit means that, in one year, our club will have brought four members of Juventus’s starting XI under Marcello Lippi.”
Last year, Fenech’s club hosted Ciro Ferrara, Edgar Davids and Alessandro Birindelli.
Trezeguet, a prolific striker who won an array of honours during his career, including two scudetti with Juventus and the World Cup and Euro Championship with France, will take part in a VIP event at the Radisson Blu Hotel in St Julians.
All 340 tickets were snapped up in less than 30 hours, according to Fenech.
On Thursday evening, Trezeguet will attend an event at the Juve Club Vero Amore, open only to club members.
Luciano Moggi, the former director general of Juventus who has established an excellent relationship with Fenech and his club, will travel to Malta with Trezeguet.
Fenech paid tribute to Moggi who paved the way for Trezeguet’s visit.
“Our club is honoured to be hosting a player of Trezeguet’s stature,” he added.
Fenech said the club committee’s work over the past two years has seen membership figures soaring from 340 to 900.
Juventus, undoubtedly one of the best-supported foreign clubs on the Maltese islands, boast three fan branches here, two in Malta and one in Gozo.
While insisting that his committee has always extended the hand of friendship to the other clubs, Fenech said his personal view was that, in a small country like Malta, there should only be one fan club of a foreign team.
“In 2014-15, we were recognised as the largest overseas Juve fan club and this year, the other club in Mriehel won this award,” Fenech said. “Everyone was amazed at the size of the Maltese clubs, so just imagine how stronger we will become if we are united.”
Fenech also confirmed yesterday that he will be standing for re-election when his two-year term expires this summer.