Editors note: This is a translation of a letter first posted at Juve a Tre Stelle, an Italian language Juventus site. It was written by Benny (@SonoGobbo) and translated into English by David Tenenbaum

The sporting chronicle of these days tells us that Juventus, OUR Juventus, has written another memorable page in history, and for that reason I will be forever grateful. Only three years ago it would have been somewhat foolhardy to believe that, a little later, OUR Juve would be able to achieve such a goal and this is thanks to the work, planning, patience, and, great desire for redemption that all the Bianconeri craved after the burning, indelible, and, still bleeding wounds of Calciopoli.

To paraphrase the words of our coach, we know that winning is never easy, we know that winning is an easy word to say but difficult to actualize. We know that castles are not built overnight, and above all we know that they cannot and must not be constructed with sand. Thanks to his work, to the work of his precious collaborators, the name Juventus has returned to be read in the stadiums of Europe that count. And this is our natural habitat, it’s where we want to stay.

The continuation of the long period of crisis that the Italian economy is going through, together with the loss of appeal of Italian football to our European competitors, did not prevent OUR glorious club from constructing what has become OUR house, theater, and, witness of our victories. Nor has it prevented OUR glorious club from exponentially increasing its revenues within a few years.

All this is thanks to the ability to know how to plan, thanks to the patience of the fans who know we had to wait before returning to win. This shows that the Bianconeri people, the one with a capital B, will have the patience to return to win, also, in Europe.

No one will ever ask you to win the Champions League next year, no one will ever ask you to force the milestone. That which we ask, if anything, will be to fight on every soccer field, in every stadium of Europe, until the last drop of sweat.

However, one thing is fundamental, one thing is essential: to lead our troops, to command our deeds, there has to be our leader, our captain, our mentor: Antonio Conte. Because there’s no one like him, black and white from birth, gobbo (hunchback, gobbo/i is a popular nickname in Italy for Juventus and her supporters) in the soul, he knows the meaning of the word JUVENTINITA, because nobody knows the meaning of the word JUVENTUS like him, nobody knows the word WINNING like him. Juventus is a family, a big family and if you can be considered our father, Antonio is our brother and a father would not abandon their child EVER. A father would NEVER let these brothers separate and would do anything to keep his family united.

And if it is true that, at Juventus, winning isn’t important, it’s the only thing that counts, it is also true that we want to continue to win with ANTONIO CONTE. Even if Antonio also had doubts about our patience, even if Antonio had doubts about our desire to continue to dream with him, show him this letter.