Torino Derby

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Lore & Background

The match between the two clubs represented until the First World War the juxtaposition of two opposing social classes. Juventus, founded in 1897 by students of a prestigious high school in Turin, soon became akin to the bourgeois in the town especially after enduring bond with the Agnelli family, which began in 1923, during which time they were also supported by the aristocracy of the region. Torino instead was founded on 3 December 1906 by dissidents who split from Juventus and joined forces with another team from the city, Football Club Torinese, who identified with the then-early industrial world. In the 1960s and 1970s, these differences had eased considerably, partly as a result of the great migration to Turin about forty years earlier, but did not disappear: Juventus has since transcended its status as the symbol of the bourgeois and elite class to become a global phenomenon while Torino still largely retains an exclusively local fanbase. The colours of the two teams also contribute, in small part, to this distinction: the Bianconeri, originally pink and black, adopted their jerseys from Notts County all the way from England, while the Granata dusted off the colours of the 'Brigade Savoia', a military unit of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Both clubs, however, featured within their emblems a raging bull, taken from the city's coat of arms: Juventus as a bond with their origins, while Torino adopted it as their identity. It was the case until 2017 when Juventus introduced a J-shaped logo and featured the bull no longer. The Turin derby was first played on 13 January 1908. It was also the first competitive match of Torino after its founding on 3 December 1906. The rivalry stems from the fact that Torino was founded through a merger of Football Club Torinese and a group of Juventus dissidents, led by major financier Alfred Dick. It is said that prior to the first derby, Dick was locked inside the changing room, causing him to miss the game and having to listen to updates via players and staff. Before World War II, the rivalry between the two clubs came to represent a class divide in the Piedmont region. The fans of Torino originally represented the proletariat, while Juventus the bourgeoisie. However, with the mass migration to Turin, a major industrial center of northern Italy, in the 1960s and 1970s, the social di

In Their Own Story

The rivalry began on 13 January 1907, the first competitive match for Torino since its founding in December 1906. The conflict stems from Torino's formation via a merger involving Juventus dissidents led by Alfred Dick, who reportedly missed that first game after being locked inside a changing room. History has seen periods of heavy dominance by both sides: between 1912 and 1914, Torino defeated Juventus with a massive goal difference, including an 0–8 loss for Juventus in November 1912. Conversely, the Grande Torino led by Valentino Mazzola dominated the 1940s before the Superga tragedy of 1949 shifted power to Juventus, who won 6–0 in April 1952. Recent history has seen marked dominance by Juventus, with Torino's last victory occurring on 26 April 2015.

Reader's Guide

As of 28 February 2023, Juventus have won the derby 110 times and Torino have won it 73 times. Despite the overall results of the derby generally in favor of Juventus, historically, there have been periods where Torino have prevailed; between 1912 and 1914, in the space of three encounters, Torino submerged Juventus under a heavy 'coat' of 23 goals—in which Juventus suffered its heaviest defeat in history, an 0–8 result on 17 November 1912, and especially during the 1940s, thanks to the team led by Valentino Mazzola, known as the Grande Torino. The end of the twenties signaled a period of early dominance of Juventus, who had just passed under the Agnelli, and left their rivals with only three victories in twenty matches; subsequently, the Superga tragedy of 1949 and the consequent technical impoverishment of Torino, was followed by a period more favourable for Juventus in the 1950s, culminating in the derby of 20 April 1952, won 6–0. The 1970s witnessed the revival of Torino, when Juventus remained without a win in the derby for nearly six years (from December 1973 to March 1979) and Torino established a record of 4 wins in a row in a single championship (1975–76). Coinciding with Torino's economic difficulties (especially at the end of the 1990s), Juventus inflicted heavy defeats (5–0 of 3 December 1995). Recent history has seen a marked dominance of Juventus, so much so that Torino's 2–1 victory on 26 April 2015 was their first derby success in twenty years. Notable incidents: In 1967 after a derby Torino won 4–0, incensed Juventus fans vandalized the grave of former Torino player Gigi Meroni. On 27 March 1983, Torino, down 0–2, overturned the deficit in the 75th minute by scoring three goals in just over three minutes to win 3–2. Another remarkable encounter took place on 14 October 2001, when Torino, trailing 0–3 at halftime, came back to tie the game 3–3 (taking advantage of a penalty miss by Juventus player Marcelo Salas, who would have scored 4–3 to Juventus). This was made famous by Torino midfielder Riccardo Maspero, who grooved a hole on the penalty spot before Salas kicked it. In the return leg, that ended 2–2, Juventus midfielder Enzo Maresca notably celebrated a late equaliser by parodying the 'horns of the bull' (the bull being the Torino's club symbol), a gesture usually done by former Torino captain Marco Ferrante. Prior to a derby match duri

Did You Know?

• The derby is named after the Mole Antonelliana, a major landmark in Turin.
• Juventus originally played in pink and black before adopting their current black and white stripes from Notts County.
• Torino's colours come from the 'Brigade Savoia', a military unit of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
• The fastest goal in derby history was not scored by Valentino Mazzola on 18 June 1944, as that was a wartime friendly, not an official derby.
• The match with the most goals was Torino