1998–99 Juventus FC season

The 1998–99 season was Juventus Football Club's 101st in existence and 97th consecutive season in the top flight of Italian football.

Season summary
Juventus endured their worst domestic season since 1990–91, with superstar Alessandro Del Piero picked up a serious knee injury in the final minutes of a 2–2 draw with Udinese on 8 November 1998. France's World Cup hero Zinedine Zidane was left with a big task to step up in Del Piero’s absence, a task he miserably failed. In an interview with L’equipe he described that season as «could not put one foot in front of the other». And he emphasized that it came as a result of him being too relaxed after having won the world cup.

Unlike the preceding four seasons, under the guidance of Marcello Lippi, Juventus' attack malfunctioned. In December 1998, Lippi announced his intention to depart the following June to manage Inter. In February Lippi was let go by the club, with successful former Parma coach Carlo Ancelotti taking over.

With Ancelotti at the helm, Juve managed to salvage a little respectability by reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League, drawing the first-leg 1–1 at Old Trafford. Following the first-leg, playmaker Zidane limped off at half-time in Juve's home draw against Bologna on 12 April 1999. Eventual champions Manchester United then defeated Juventus 3–2 at Stadio delle Alpi in the second-leg of the semi-final.

Following that Champions League semi-final defeat, Juve's season ended poorly by their high standards, finishing a lowly seventh in Serie A. Juve had to settle for the relative ignominy of the UEFA Cup the next season.

Top Scorers

 * 🇮🇹 Filippo Inzaghi 13
 * Daniel Fonseca 6
 * 🇮🇹 Antonio Conte 4
 * 🇫🇷 Thierry Henry 3
 * 🇮🇹 Nicola Amoruso 3
 * 🇫🇷 Zinedine Zidane 2
 * 🇮🇹 Alessandro Del Piero 2