- The information in this post came from I Colori della Vittoria by
Nicola Calzaretta
When Juventus reached the final of the 1971 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a third kit had to be created.
With Leeds United their opponents, Juve couldn’t use their normal white change kit and so, seeking to harness nationalistic pride, they turned out in a blue strip.
While it wouldn’t be immediately successful, with Leeds winning on away goals after a 1-1 draw at Elland Road (the re-fixed game in Turin, with Leeds in red, finished 2-2 – two days earlier the match had been abandoned due to heavy rain), Juve retained the blue as an alternative for the rest of the 1970s and into the 1980s.
In 1982-83, the first with two gold stars on their chest, having won 20 titles, Juve began the campaign with the usual royal blue but, for the European Cup semi-final there was a change to the change.
Polish side Widzew Łódź, conquerors of Liverpool in the quarter-finals, were the opponents and they wore red as Juve triumped 2-0 in Turin, but the second leg saw the Italian side in a lighter shade of blue than previously.
A 2-2 draw was enough to advance to the final, their first since losing to Ajax a decade earlier.
Hamburg were the opponents in the decider, with Juventus winning the toss for choice of colours, but they fell to the German side.
The following season, a new yellow and blue change kit was worn and blue wouldn’t return as the second choice until 1994.
