Eager Igor new king
Football Italia - December 1998
While Juventus struggled to gain momentum this season, it was down to the new central defensive pairing of Paolo Montero and Igor Tudor to keep things tight at the back while veteran Ciro Ferrara completed his recovery from February's bad injury that ruled him out of the World Cup.
The Urguayan, in his third season in Turin, and the Croatian, in his first, kept the team afloat while more illustrious names like Zidane and Del Piero struggled to regain their touch. While Montero is now a firm favorite at the Delle Alpi, Croatian international Igor Tudor has been the Old Lady's newest revelation of the season. When the young defender arrived during the summer following World Cup duty, he understood that he would have to go to the back of the queue and wit patiently for his turn in the firs team. However, fate meant he got his chance almost immediately.
And he's done superbly, not only impressing fans and the media but - more importantly - Marcello Lippi as well. "Tudor has confirmed and added to his credentials as a player of top quality. He has come into a foreign country, culture and style of football and done excellently for Juventus," says the Coach.
The 20-year old has shown that with Ferrara on the mend and new Italian international Mark Iuliano also recovered, Lippi has a new problem - how to fit everyone onto his defence. No doubt it's a problem he doesn't mind having, but a problem nonetheless.
Tudor, a fresh-faced, likeable youngster has not only conquered all on the pitch with his personality and his sure-footed confidence, he has also impressed everybody with his outstanding technique and has had the scribes constantly marking him up with 7's and 7.5's in their reports.
In his Serie A debut on the opening game of the season at Perugia, he scored his first goal. Then in the game against Vicenza his prominent displays saw him marked down as Man of the Match once more. This was bestowed on him not only for his coolness in tight situations but his remarkable effort on goal. Doubtless the groundsman at Vicenza will get a bonus for the extra coat of paint on the home goas post.
So what does Tudor make of it all? "At Vicenza when I shot on goal I really thought it was going in. The post stopped it and it ended outside the net by a centimetre. Still there's always another day," he breezes. But surely he didn't expect to be so involved straight away? "I am very happy because I really did not expect to play as soon as I did. I knew when I came to the strongest club in the world I would have to wait a while just to get on the bench. Now every game I play naturally my confidence grows and along with that my belief in myself."
So how does he find Italian football? "I find it much better than in Croatia. In my country they play man to man marking with a libero. Here they play zonal with the defence in line. I feel it's the way I can play at my best."
It's Lippi, fans and journalist who have appreciated Tudor's appearances in the black and white stripes. The word on his early exploits in Italy has reached the ears of Croatian national Coach Ciro Blazevic as well. Tudor is aware of this and very happy. "Everyone has looked at me in a different way recently including the national Coach. Of course it give me a lift. In Malta recently finally I played the whole game for Croatia."
With a long international career all but guaranteed and the whole-hearted backing of Juventus, what's next? "My aim is to continue to play and make it harder for Mr. Lippi to make any different choices when both Ciro and Iuliano are back and ready to play regularly. I need to keep my head down and continue to try my very best in each game. So far I feel I have done OK. The only time I found myself in difficulty was against Galatasaray in the Champions' League. But above all I want to win the Scudetto."
Paolo Montero, of course, is used to such fights. Then central defender has enjoyed a successful five years in Italy. Thanks to his tenacious approach and ball-winning ability he can, if he cares to, retire tomorrow and never have to think about work ever again. But it wasn't always like that. "When I first arrived in Italy to play for Atalanta I was lucky enough to have my family with me, but for someone who was as young as I was it can be hard to overcome the affection one retains for your homeland. The truth is many Uruguayans come here as youngsters and you need to wait awhile to see their true worth. However, in Italy no one wants to wait.
"When I first arrived in 1992 I was told that Bergamo and Turin were closed cities, places that were cold and that the inhabitants were distant. But that's not true at all. It has been a pleasant surprise because we Uruguayans are hospitable people, similar to the southern Italians I suppose. Urguayan football is considered similar to italian and that's why we settle in well."
So how about the media pressures. Are they similar? "On television the only clubs that are talked about are Penarol and Nationale. However, here in Italy the show starts on Monday and doesn't stop till the next Sunday and then starts all over again. But Uruguayans live for football in a way that's even more total than it is over here. In Uruguay even if we don't talk about it as much, it's true that the first present a young boy gets is a football.
"Also you must never forget we are not a rich country and football is the only way that can guarantee some sort of future for many kids. Another difference is that football emigration has always been a part of the scene and stems back to the very early days of professionalism." With men like him and Tudor to call on, no wonder the confidence of Juve's fans is rising again.
