Juventus have paid tribute to Gian Piero Ventrone in a classy statement following the death of the Tottenham fitness coach. Amid reports from Italy early on Thursday morning stating that Ventrone had died suddenly from acute leukaemia, Tottenham confirmed the tragic news at 10am.
Working for the Serie A giants in the 1990s, the Italian returned to Turin at the turn of the century and played his part in the Bianconeri winning even more silverware. Having a big impact on the Tottenham team during his time at the club, he very much did likewise at Juventus, who hailed him in their statement for the role he played in helping football enter a new era.
"One of the historic names at Juventus at the turn of the century, Gian Piero Ventrone, has left us at the age of 62 (sic)," wrote the Italian club on their official website. "Gian Piero worked as a Juventus athletic trainer, from 1994 to 1999, helping Marcello Lippi build and look after a Juve side that won everything in Italy and Europe.
READ MORE: Tottenham Hotspur fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone dies
"He returned to Turin from 2001 to 2004, enriching his, and our, trophy collection with other victories. He employed innovative methods in physical conditioning inspired by modern criteria, which led the way in Italy and abroad. A member of Lippi's staff when Italy won the World Cup in 2006, he continued to enrich his career, in France, China and England, where he was working before his passing.
''We will always remember his attention to detail, his work philosophy, and perhaps his greatest talent, the understanding that football - and especially the fundamental components of conditioning and athleticism - was gradually entering a new era. A new era that, in part, he helped write.
"Ciao, Gian Piero."
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