Juventus legend Francesco Morini, who was the Bianconeri’s mainstay in the defensive half throughout the 1970’s, passed away on Tuesday aged 77.
Morini forged a memorable career in Turin with the Old Lady as he partnered with fellow defensive greats such as Claudio Gentile and Gaetano Scirea during the club’s immensely successful domestic period of the 70’s. He earned himself the moniker ‘Morgan’, after the 1960 Italian-French film Morgan, the Pirate and Sir Henry Morgan himself – mainly due to his ability to snatch the ball off attackers in the run of play.
Morini debuted on February 2, 1964 for Sampdoria as 20-year-old talent and five years later joined Juventus, where he went on to etch a legacy of his own.
In ricordo di Francesco Morini ➡ https://t.co/aab0aOj1mX pic.twitter.com/p1hGFiE3Fy
— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) August 31, 2021
The centre-back encountered some of the greatest strikers ever to grace Serie A such as Luigi Riva, Giuseppe Savoldi, Omar Sivori and Paolo Pulici. However, he is most remembered for his duels with Inter legend and future teammate Roberto Boninsegna.
After garnering more than 400 first team appearances with Sampdoria and Juventus in Italy, he moved to Canada with the Toronto Blizzard, ending his illustrious playing career. He later went on to serve as Juventus’ sporting director and team manager from 1981 to 1994.
Juventus have bid farewell to their star in an official club statement.
Morini won five Scudetti from 1971 to 1978, along with the 1978/79 Coppa Italia title and the UEFA Cup in 1976/77 with Juventus. He was also instrumental for Sampdoria early in his career, when he won the Serie B and led them to promotion in the 1966/67 season.
He made just 11 appearances for Italy and was a member of the country’s 1974 FIFA World Cup squad.