Former Juventus defender Stephan Lichtsteiner recently spoke to Gazzetta, reflecting on his career. He shared, “I won seven league titles and many trophies, but I also lost a lot: two Champions League finals with Juve, one Europa League final with Arsenal. That`s how sport is. As a young man, I pursued my dreams, but I also trained hard to achieve them while getting my diploma to secure a potential job in a bank, in case football didn`t work out.”
Lichtsteiner highly praised his former coach, Antonio Conte: “Conte sent you onto the field knowing everything: what the opponents would do, what would happen, how to react to every tactical situation. We always had something extra. Playing for Juve is completely different, and Conte made you understand that. He always told us that to remain in history, you have to win.” He added, “In the first year, only he initially believed we could achieve something great. We trusted Antonio, followed him, managed to handle the mental stress, and in the last two months, we were absolutely convinced we would succeed.”
Discussing his understanding with Andrea Pirlo, Lichtsteiner recalled, “There was a special feeling with Andrea Pirlo: if I made my run at the right time, the ball would arrive. It was natural; we didn`t even practice it much in training. And I didn`t need to call for the ball because Andrea had eyes everywhere.”
He reflected on the challenging 2017-18 Scudetto win: “The last Scudetto, the one in 2017-18, was the hardest-fought: we were good, but not perfect, and Napoli was right on our heels. I enjoyed it, even though I knew I would be leaving. The bit of luck we sometimes had in the league, we never had in Europe. But we shouldn`t look for excuses; instead, we should understand who we lost the finals against: Barcelona with Messi, Suarez, and Neymar, Real Madrid with Ronaldo. With all due respect to other teams, it`s not the same thing.”
Lichtsteiner revealed his loyalty played a key role in career decisions: “I said no to Inter out of seriousness: I love Juve, and therefore I couldn`t play for Inter. Now I suffer as a fan, but we will win again soon.” He concluded by describing the unique profile of a player who thrives at Juventus: “There are players made for Juve and others, even good ones, who are not. In the first group are those who can handle stress, who have the clarity to look beyond the moment or the result, who know how to send the right messages to teammates, who understand what it truly means to wear that jersey, who learn from those who were there before them, and then teach those who arrive.”