Gian Piero Ventrone, a former Juventus fitness coach who joined Antonio Conte at Tottenham, has sadly passed away aged 62 today.
The Italian spent a decade with the Bianconeri from 1994 to 2004, helping to keep the players in a strong physical condition with his work on the training ground. After spending time with Ajaccio, Catania, Jiangsu Suning and Guangzhou Evergrande, Ventrone returned to Europe in November of last year to join Conte’s staff at Tottenham.
Nicknamed ‘the Marine’, Ventrone had a fearsome reputation amongst players but played a vital role in ensuring their fitness was a cut above their counterparts, with Spurs defender Matt Doherty saying that “we’ve got so much respect for him that we do whatever he tells us to.”
Ventrone died this morning aged 62 from a sudden illness, leaving the Tottenham family heartbroken at the unexpected loss, which will certainly be felt in the world of football.
The fitness coach once explained the reasons behind his training techniques, highlighting “let’s clarify a basic concept: harder training does not mean better, otherwise we would train the players like the Marines.
“It’s simple, we train them like special departments and after two days there is no one left on the pitch.”
The Football Italia staff send their condolences to Ventrone’s family.