Piloni and Alessandrelli, Juventus’ backup goalkeepers, were overshadowed by Zoff’s presence
Being the backup goalkeeper means accepting long stretches on the bench. But for Massimo Piloni and Giancarlo Alessandrelli, at Juventus in the 1970s, that situation took on almost extreme proportions. Ahead of them was Dino Zoff, one of the most consistent goalkeepers in Juventus history, capable of playing 330 consecutive league games for Juventus without missing a single one.
Piloni was already well acquainted with the Juventus goal before Zoff’s arrival. In the 1970–71 season, he had made seven league appearances, and the following year he played in five more, including decisive matches in the race for the Scudetto. In the summer of 1972, however, Zoff arrived in Turin, and Piloni’s playing time virtually vanished.
Piloni remained Zoff’s backup for three seasons, from 1972 to 1975, without playing a single league match. During that period, his only official start came in the Coppa Italia on February 6, 1974. It was a paradoxical situation for a goalkeeper who had already proven he could play in Serie A. In 1975, he therefore decided to leave Turin for Pescara, dropping down to Serie B just to return to a starring role: with the Abruzzo-based club, he would play in 107 of the next 108 matches and secure promotion to Serie A.
Giancarlo Alessandrelli took on the heavy burden of Piloni’s legacy as Zoff’s backup. Having come up through the Juventus youth system and been sent to gain experience at Ternana, Arezzo, and Reggiana, he returned to Turin for the 1975–76 season. For him, too, however, finding playing time proved nearly impossible.
Alessandrelli managed to play a few Coppa Italia matches and even saw action in the European Cup, but in Serie A, the wait seemed never-ending. For four years, he wore the number 12 jersey on the bench 113 times before finally getting the chance to enter a league match.
The moment came on May 13, 1979, the final day of the season. Juventus faced Avellino, and Alessandrelli came on for Zoff in the closing minutes. What was supposed to be the culmination of years of waiting, however, turned into a difficult debut: in the minutes he spent on the field, he conceded three goals, and the match ended 3–3. It would remain his only appearance in Serie A with Juventus’s first team.
The stories of Piloni and Alessandrelli illustrate above all just how unique it was to be Zoff’s backup. Juventus itself, looking back on that era, has emphasized how Piloni, Alessandrelli, and later Luciano Bodini had to settle for just a few appearances in cup competitions. In the league, Zoff simply wouldn’t give up his spot: he played even when he had minor physical issues and kept his impressive streak of consecutive appearances intact.
