1985 European Cup Final vs Liverpool
The Old Lady of Italian football, most successful club in Italy and a pioneer in European competition.
Juventus Football Club, commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve, is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy. They compete in Serie A, the top tier of Italian football. Founded in 1897 by a group of Turinese students, Juventus is one of Italy's oldest football clubs and has played their home matches at the Juventus Stadium since 2011. Nicknamed "the Old Lady", Juventus is the most successful club in Italian football and one of the most decorated at worldwide level.
Quick Facts
- Competition
- European Cup Final
- Date
- May 29, 1985
- Venue
- Heysel Stadium, Brussels
- Opponent
- Liverpool FC
- Result
- Juventus 1-0 Liverpool
- Deciding goal
- Michel Platini (Penalty)
- Significance
- First European Cup title for Juventus
Lore & Background
Juventus have won a record 36 Italian league titles, 15 Coppa Italia trophies, and nine Supercoppa Italiana trophies. Internationally, the club has won two European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, one European Cup Winners' Cup, three UEFA Cups, two Intercontinental Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, and one UEFA Intertoto Cup. With eleven international trophies, Juventus occupy the sixth position in Europe and 12th position worldwide for most confederation titles.
Under Giovanni Trapattoni, Juventus became the first club to win all three major UEFA competitions (UEFA Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, European Champions' Cup). With additional triumphs in 1984 European Super Cup and 1985 Intercontinental Cup, they became the first in football history to complete a clean sweep of international trophies; an improved record by winning the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup, and remained the only club to have won every official UEFA men's club tournament until the first 2022 Europa Conference League final.
Reader's Guide
Juventus was founded as Sport-Club Juventus in late 1897. The club was renamed Foot-Ball Club Juventus in 1899. In 1905, Juventus won their first Italian championship. The club adopted its famous black-and-white striped shirts, inspired by English side Notts County. In 1923, Edoardo Agnelli became club president. Juventus won its second league title in 1925–26. During the 1930s, Juventus won five consecutive league titles between 1931 and 1935. Under Marcello Lippi in the 1990s, Juventus won five league titles and the 1996 Champions League. Between 2012 and 2020, Juventus won a record nine consecutive Serie A titles and reached two UEFA Champions League finals.
Did You Know?
- Juventus players have won eight Ballon d'Or awards and three FIFA World Player of the Year awards.
- The club has provided more players to the Italy national team than any other, including to its FIFA World Cup-winning squads of 1934, 1982, and 2006.
- Juventus have long-standing rivalries with Torino, Inter Milan, and AC Milan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the 1985 European Cup Final between Juventus and Liverpool?
Juventus defeated their English rivals 1-0 at Brussels' Heysel Stadium thanks to a Michel Platini penalty, securing their first European title. However, this historic victory is permanently overshadowed by the pre-match disaster where violent crowd segregation failures led to the deaths of 39 spectators.
Who scored the winning goal in the 1985 final?
Michel Platini converted a penalty kick in the second half to provide the only goal of the match. His strike was the decisive moment that crowned Juventus as European champions after a tense tactical battle against Liverpool.
What caused the tragedy associated with this match?
The disaster stemmed from a catastrophic failure in crowd control as Juventus fans invaded the Liverpool supporters' section, causing a retaining wall to collapse. This event resulted in 39 fatalities and led to an immediate ban on English clubs from European competition.
Where and when did the 1985 final take place?
The match was played on May 29, 1985, at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels under grey skies. It served as the climax of the season's European Cup campaign before the stadium fell silent to a memorial for the victims.
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