Juventus” data-scaytid=”1″>Juventus captain Gigi Buffon dedicated the Italian Super Cup victory to Antonio Conte, Leonardo Bonucci, Simone Pepe and Alessandro Del Piero.
Juventus captain Gigi Buffon dedicated the Italian Super Cup victory to Antonio Conte, Leonardo Bonucci, Simone Pepe and Alessandro Del Piero.
The Bianconeri lifted the trophy in Beijing on Saturday after beating nine-man Napoli 4-2 in extra time.
“The first dedication goes to our Coach, who daily sends us his sporting rage and hunger to be first that has no equal. All of that, despite his troubles…” wrote Buffon on his Facebook page.
Conte was in the stands because he has received a 10-month touchline ban in the betting trial, replaced by assistant Massimo Carrera.
Bonucci and Pepe were also in the trial, but were cleared on Friday.
“The second dedication is for our Italian-Chinese fans, who followed us all the way here and supported the team with great passion.
“The third thought goes to Simone and Leo, who emerged from a very long nightmare and in all this time never for an instant held back in their efforts for the Juventus cause.
“The fourth is for Giorgione Chiellini, who would’ve deserved to be among us celebrating, but an injury caused by his usual generosity kept him out…
“Marco Storari who, unlike me, was unfortunate enough to play the Coppa Italia Final rather than this one, otherwise he’d have won this trophy as a protagonist. But then he is always a protagonist, because all our teammates who aren’t lucky enough to play are still contributing with advice and support.
“Finally, a dedication to our captain Ale Del Piero, who deserved to end his Bianconeri story by lifting a trophy… but life is long… and sometimes you enjoy getting one back…”
The Italian Super Cup was the first official match Juventus have played since the end of the 19-year Del Piero era.
His last game for the Bianconeri was the Coppa Italia Final in May, which saw Napoli emerge 2-0 winners.