Why do so many sons of former athletes play for Juventus?

Just a few days ago, Francisco Conceição became a new player for Juventus - ready to complete a formidable attacking lineup. The son of Sergio Conceição, a former Serie A player with Parma, Lazio, and Juventus, he is the latest in a long line of legacy players to join Juventus. He joins a packed list that also boasted Federico Chiesa, who flew to Liverpool just yesterday after a long market telenovela, Timothy Weah, and Khephren Thuram, who also arrived during this transfer window.

The move for Khephren Thuram - the second son of former Juventus defender Lilian Thuram - was only awaiting official confirmation, especially after the arrival of his brother Marcus at rivals Inter. Lilian, still a Juventus supporter today, has thus fulfilled his dream of seeing his son wear the Juventus jersey - but only after having "escorted" Marcus, during the last match of the previous season, under the Inter fans, participating in scenes that became memes immediately. However, unlike Lilian Thuram, the fathers of the other Juventus "nepo-babies" have only faced Juventus as opponents.

No love stories between Chiesa, Weah, and Conceição senior and the Turin club - only intense rivalry in matches played during a historic period when Serie A was in a particularly flourishing phase. Enrico Chiesa was the top scorer for Parma in the 1996/1997 season with 16 goals and helped the Emilia club finish second just behind Juventus - the same team that also included Lilian Thuram, who moved to the bianconeri in 2001.

With the acquisition of Khephren Thuram, Juventus expands the list of legacy players in Serie A: the ongoing transfer window has seen Maximilian Ibrahimović sign with Milan Futuro, the second team of Milan playing in Serie C. The Swede joins names like Andréa Dacourt, son of former Roma player Olivier Dacourt, at Sampdoria; conversely, Francesco Gattuso, son of Gennaro Gattuso, has chosen Marseille's youth team for his first significant experience, just as his father replaced Igor Tudor.

Despite the presence of other sons of former players in Serie A (among them Giovanni Simeone, son of Cholo - who has passed through Hellas Verona, Fiorentina, and Napoli), it is no coincidence that Juventus has heavily leveraged the idea of "family business" - given the club's inclination towards the concept of family, almost completing a package of exaltation and narrative of its own DNA that has evolved in many ways over the years. First and foremost, think of the historic friendly matches in Villar Perosa - with the customary peaceful pitch invasions by fans eager to embrace their idols - real events where Juventus A would face Juventus B. The Piedmontese locality, by definition the second home of the Agnelli family, has gradually perpetuated the club's closeness to fans over the years, but especially the Agnelli family's affection for the players and Juventus staff - as if the owner of a company organized a ritual and lavish company party, envied by all.

A well-known comment from 2022 by journalist Guido Vaciago sums it up well: «For a Juventus fan, Villar Perosa means summer, market dreams, hopes for the upcoming season, heat, and sweaty photos for those heading up the valley, curious reports to read for those on the beach. For a player, however, Villar Perosa means important and strong memories. Long retreats for those from the past, an emotional day for those of today.» After the Covid-19 pandemic, the Villar Perosa friendlies were suspended; this season, the family friendly took place at the Allianz Stadium in Turin with the crowd cheering every touch of the ball by Khephren Thuram, who now carries the task of proudly waving the name of the Juventus family; and we look forward to seeing a smiling Lilian in the stands, just like David Trezeguet's mother.