On the 15th of December 2006, tragedy struck at Juventus in the most terrible of fashions. Two youth team players lost their lives at the club’s training center in Vinovo.

Alessio Ferramosca and Riccardo Neri ( a striker and a goalkeeper respectively) both passed away at the age of 17.

The two were trying to recover some footballs that fell in the lake following the team’s Christmas party, but ended up drowning in the cold waters.

Juventus were supposed to play Cesena in a Serie B fixture on that day, but the match was postponed due to the tragic accident.

Since then, the two became simply known as “Ale and Ricky”, with the club and the fans continuing to pay tribute for their memory.

The management named football pitches in the Vinovo training center after the two deceased young men to honor their memory.

Here’s the official statement released by the Bianconeri via their official website:

“Ale and Ricky, two names united by a great passion for football and, unfortunately, by a destiny that took them away too soon.

15 years have passed since that cold 15th December, when Alessio Ferramosca and Riccardo Neri passed away in Vinovo. That evening even a part of each of us went away forever, along with their dreams which were to one day be able to wear the First Team shirt.

Alessio and Riccardo passed at Vinovo, where the field in which Juventus Women and the younger Bianconeri play on is named after them. The same place where Bianconeri, day after day, run, work and train, with a smile, that same smile that accompanied the dreams of our Ale and Ricky, who said goodbye to us too, too soon.

Since 15th December 2006, they are forever with us.”