Nedved Commits To Juventus For Life
Friday 6th July 2001
Pavel Nedved has pledged to stay at Juventus until he retires from football. "I have got the same long-term contract that I had with Lazio," revealed the Czech Republic star, who sealed a �26 million switch to Turin on Thursday . "It will take me until the end of my career."
The midfielder, who turns 29 next month, confirmed the details of the controversial transfer from his holiday retreat at Skalna u Chebu on the Czech-German border.
Nedved's shock move caused such uproar in Rome that Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti quit after disgruntled fans protested outside his home.
In his defence, Cragnotti insisted he had not wanted Nedved to leave. But the Czech star explained that this was not the case. "The agreement between Juventus and Lazio already existed," Nedved explained, "and it all depended on my decision."
Nedved signed a new long-term deal with Lazio only last month but this now appears to have been a way to inflate the Czech's transfer value.
The player's agent Zdenek Nehoda confirmed that Nedved had signed a five-year contract with Juventus, who charted a private jet to whisk the Czech star to Turin to conclude the deal.
"I feel a bit sad inside," explained Nedved, who has now resumed his family holiday. "I have been at Lazio for the last five years, but I still want to achieve things in football, and I wouldn't want this chance to pass me by."
"Juventus are a really great club," he added.
