Nedved Delighted With Juventus Welcome
Monday 23rd July 2001
Pavel Nedved has revealed he was overwhelmed by the reception he received from Juventus fans as he made his debut for the Bianconeri in an 8-0 victory over Val d'Aosta. "I couldn't have dreamed of a welcome like that," he said.
"When I lived in Rome, I thought that the northern stands were cold," he went on. "Now I have discovered that isn't true. I need the fans to support me because I'm not a cold person. Without them, it's impossible to play football."
General manager Luciano Moggi presented Nedved to the press, joking that Juve had only signed him because he scored so many goals against the club for Lazio.
"It's true," Nedved smiled. "I scored a lot of goals against Juve. I had five wonderful years with Lazio. Now I want to do the same in Turin.
"The club have amazed me with their organisation, with the great professionalism of the players and with the passion of the fans who follow the team.
"I would like to win the hearts of the people, but I can never replace Zinedine Zidane. He is a real champion and we are different both as players and as people."
Nedved surprisingly quit Lazio for Juve earlier this month, prompting such fury in Rome that Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti found his house besieged by fans.
After making the �26 million switch to Juve, Nedved is desperate to be a success. "Of course, it won't be easy to win here. It's never easy, because there are so many good opponents. Lazio will be good this season, for instance, because they have replaced me with Gaizka Mendieta, who is a great player."
A brave and busy competitor, Nedved emerged on the international scene at Euro 96, where he scored a goal in the Czechs' 2-1 win over Italy at Anfield.
A few weeks later, Lazio signed him from Sparta Prague and the rest has been one long success story, highlighted in May 2000 when the Rome giants achieved the double.
His achievements were acknowledged back in the Czech Republic when he was voted Footballer of the Year the following season.
Nedved will miss Juve's first three European games this season after picking up a suspension playing for Lazio against Leeds United in last season's Champions' League. The Czech, however, refuses to be downhearted.
"It's a pity, because I love to play in Europe," he said. "But I'm sure I will help the team afterwards, because the Champions' League is a long competition."
