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When Beppe Marotta arrived from Sampdoria, his task was as large as we’ve seen in quite some time. Juventus were just a few years removed from a season in Serie B, was coming off a seventh-place finish the season before he got there and had a roster that, to put it kindly, was filled with holes and all kinds of issues.
Things didn’t start well with Gigi Delneri. Things got better in a hurry under Antonio Conte. Things have continued to be great under Max Allegri.
Through it all, Marotta and his right-hand man Fabio Paratici have constructed a roster that has been put together with big-money transfers and shrewd bargains that continue to make an impact to this very day.
In the minutes following Juventus’ 3-1 win over Napoli at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, Marotta announced that he will be stepping down as Juventus’ director general when his current contract expires on Oct. 25. Through the Juventus’ official website, Marotta released the following statement regarding his decision:
“The club is carrying out an extensive renewal. My mandate as chief executive comes to an end on 25 October and the list of board members, which will be presented on Monday, will not contain my name.
”For the time being I will remain in place as chief executive but I wanted to make this statement in order to avoid any speculation. I will assess my position along with the club president in the coming days. I’ve had eight wonderful years here, full of success, and Juventus will always remain in my heart.”
Marotta also had this to say in an interview with Sky Sport Italia after the final whistle:
“It has been a remarkable eight-year run, Juventus will always be in my heart. I want to announce this because a list of the directors will be released on Monday and my name won’t be on it. I thought it only right to anticipate and give that news before anyone tries to create a different version. The natural end to the mandate is October 25 and will not be renewed. I will remain as director general of the sport area. For how long is a detail we’ll decide with the President.
”I can categorically exclude the report I will be a candidate for the FIGC Presidency. That is not an experience that interests me. We’ll explain in more detail later on, but this is what I felt the need to confirm right now. It is an emotional moment.”
(Source: Football Italia)
Obviously, the last line in that quote above is what we’re waiting on. We want to know why this is happening — besides just the fact that his current contract is coming to an end in a little less than a month — and what kind of plan Juve may have going forward to continue the excellence on both the field and in the front office.
The continuity with the likes of Marotta, Paratici, Andrea Agnelli and Pavel Nedved is one of the biggest reasons why Juve are where they are. They’ve had a vision, they’ve executed it and won everything they possibly could have outside of that little thing called the Champions League. That could very well change this season or next, and it will be thanks to, in large part, the work Marotta has done to get Juventus from two straight seventh-place finishes to now seven-time defending Serie A champions.
Who knows where Beppe’s next step in his career will be. But, no matter where he goes, Marotta will forever be one of the most important directors Juventus has ever seen walk through its doors. Not every signing hit, but a lot of them did — and because of that, Juventus are now the class of Italy for going on what is closing in on a decade.