On Saturday, Torino will host Juventus at the the Olympic Stadium in Turin. This encounter will be the first Derby della Mole following the sad passing of Giampiero Boniperti.
The former Bianconeri player and president died last June at the age of 92. He is considered to be a club icon and one of the greatest names to serve the Old Lady throughout its history.
Evelina Christillin is a member of the FIFA council and a great friend to the Agnelli family, and she revealed some of the memories she shared with Boniperti during derby clashes.
“Giampiero never went to the stadium for derby matches. He couldn’t bare to watch. He stayed at home with earplugs playing solitaire,” said Christillin in an interview with la Gazzetta dello Sport via ILBianconero.
“On our way back we used to stop by his house and Il Avvocato (the late president Gianni Agnelli) enjoyed telling him the wrong result, ‘Giampiero, it went badly’, and he would be saddened. He always fell for it, even if we hardly ever lost in the derby.”
The FIFA board member said that she has tougher times when Juventus play against Inter, and revealed which players she expects to be decisive against Torino.
“I suffer more when we play against Inter. As a Turin native, I feel some affection for the Granata, I can’t help but like the team that bears the name of my city. But I want Juventus to win anyway.
“Saying that Chiesa will make the difference is the obvious answer, but I cheer for Bernardeschi, who served a wonderful assist with Chelsea. And then in defense, we have Chiellini, who’s always a guarantee.”
Christillin was even considered to be one of the potential candidates to replace Andrea Agnelli as club president following the European Super League debacle last April.
Nonetheless, the president managed to maintain the trust and support of the club’s ownership.
