Conte Desperate For New Juventus Contract
Wednesday 20th March 2002
Juventus captain Antonio Conte has begged the club to reject an approach from AC Milan and allow him to finish his career in Turin. "I have been here for eleven years and I hope my dream comes true," he said.
"My contract ends at the end of this season. I know I'm 33 and I appreciated the compliments I received from Milan executives and some other teams' requests. But I want to end my career in Juventus where I have played for 11 years," he added.
Conte was speaking after Juventus had beaten Arsenal in the Champions' League to restore some pride after their exit last week.
He explained after Marcelo Zayaleta's 76th minute header helped his side to a 1-0 win in their final group game: "Arsenal were in a difficult situation, because they had to win.
"We played a quiet good game with a lot of young players. Obviously we are sad because of our elimination. We made some mistakes in the other matches before that one. But we were so unlucky with a lot of injuries to our players."
Conte has made a successful return to the Turin side's first-team following a long-term knee injury.
The 33-year-old captain made his comeback in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals last December, and the midfielder's importance to the Turin club was underlined by general manager Luciano Moggi, who likened his return to signing a new player.
And Conte was insistent that - along with veteran defender Ciro Ferrara, who is also back in the reckoning at the Stadio Delle Alpi - experience will be a vital factor in this season's title race. Conte said: "I am not presumptuous but I think Juventus still need a player like me.
"I am happy that someone said that me and Ferrara are still useful for this team. We can help new players to understand what is expected at the club and we are important when Marcello Lippi calls on us."
Since his injury, Conte has seen team-mates Gianluca Zambrotta, Gianluca Pessotto and Alessio Tacchinardi all play in Italy's midfield - though Roma's Damiano Tommasi, now a regular, has been the biggest beneficiary of Conte's absence.
