Juventus is Italy’s most successful club having won a record 36 official league titles (Scudetto), 14 Coppa Italia titles and nine Supercoppa titles.
Nicknamed the Old Lady, the club was founded in 1897 as Sport-Club Juventus before being renamed Football-Club Juventus two years later. Inspired by the English club Notts County, the famous black and white striped shirts ply their trade at the Allianz Arena in Turin, which they moved into in 2011.
Majority-owned by the Agnellli family, with a value of $2.05bn it is currently ranked 11th in the global rich list, compiled by Forbes.
Juventus is listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (MTA) and has the ticker name of JUVE. This guide will explain how to invest in the club and the risks and rewards of doing so.
As Juventus F.C is a Public Limited Company (PLC) – it is listed on the stock exchange, meaning buying shares is fairly straightforward. This means buying shares is fairly straightforward. Simply follow the steps below to become a shareholder.
When it comes to investing, the share price of listed football clubs should in theory be driven by the same as any other share; future profit outlook, as well as supply and demand.
Despite recent success, Juventus has been no stranger to controversy in its past. In 2006 the club was rocked when the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal – involving former general manager Luciano Moggi – eventually cost the club relegation to Serie B, as well as its 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles.
Despite being docked nine points, Juve bounced straight back into the top flight but suffered a few years of obscurity – until in 2010 Andrea Agnelli rose to president, effectively ushering in a new era for the club.
Having missed out on the Scudetto to Inter Milan in the 2020-21 season, the club recently announced the rehiring of Massimiliano Allegri, who guided the team to five consecutive titles during his first tenure as manager between 2014 and 2019.
Nick Train, a fund manager at Lindsell Train Limited – a shareholder in Juventus – said short term performance on the field is not a major concern to him when investing.
“The allure to us of live sports franchises is the loyal fan base that is more valued by advertisers than almost any other entertainment medium,” said Train. “Out of a universe of 12 quoted soccer clubs we own three unique franchises; Juventus, Manchester United and Celtic, which all could be readily described as national icons.
“Juventus was established in 1897 and has the best supporter base in Italy – amply illustrated when the club was relegated for a season to Serie B in 2007, during which time Italian TV viewing figures for Serie B exceeded Serie A. The club has won more trophies than any other in Italy, and is amongst the select few which actually own their own stadiums.
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Take a look at Juventus’ share price performance over the last three months on the graph below. It’s always important to remember past performance is no indication of future results.
If you’d prefer not to invest directly in Juventus, you could invest in some of its sponsors or global partners. Football club sponsors provide funds directly to football clubs to buy new kit and equipment as well as travel to games.
If the Covid crisis has taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected. When it comes to football, the thought of watching an entire season with no fans in the stadiums would have been barely believable two years ago, but it happened.
While the long-term consequences of the Covid shutdown on football clubs is still uncertain, for investors such as Train, when it comes to taking a stake in the world’s largest sports franchises, it is crucial to try and shut out the noise.
Train adopts what is known as a long-term approach to investing. This means when he buys a company, he is prepared to wade out any short-term market moves (known as volatility) and invest for a period of three or more years. This means results on the field and recent scandals such as the European Super League, do not not overly influence his decision to buy or sell. This is something he says all investors should bear in mind when considering buying shares in a football club.
Despite its troubles at the start of this century, Juventus’ history is one of domestic dominance. However on the European front, the Turin giants have only won the European Cup twice, beating Liverpool in 1985 and lifting the Champions League trophy in 1996 after defeating Ajax.
Two more finals followed quickly after in 1997 and 1998, but the Old Lady lost out to Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid respectively. Juventus was also part of an all Italian Champions League final in 2003 but lost out to AC Milan on penalties after the game ended 0–0.
While the thought of investing in Juventus might seem a fun idea, it must remembered these are not novelty shares, you are buying real shares in a real company. This can bring both risks – namely you won’t get all your money back – and rewards – namely you might make some money if you wish to sell your investment later.
However, like watching the beautiful game, investing in football franchises offers something unique and valuable for investors. It might not quite match a stoppage time winner to beat fierce rivals AC Milan or Torino, but for those willing to be patient, the rewards might prove to be just as exciting.
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
Interested in buying shares in another football club? Luckily Juventus isn’t the only football team you can buy shares in – you can also buy shares in clubs such as Manchester United, Celtic and Borussia Dortmund amongst others. See the table below for all the current football clubs that you can buy shares in.
Note: not all football clubs are Public Limited Companies (PLC) and therefore you can’t buy and sell shares in them.
| Club | Country | League |
|---|---|---|
| Borussia Dortmund | Germany | Bundesliga |
| AS Roma | Italy | Serie A |
| Manchester United FC | England | Premier League |
| Rangers FC | Scotland | Scottish Premiership |
| Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Premiership |
Chelsea FC isn’t publicly listed, so you can’t invest directly in the club – however, there are ways that you can invest indirectly.
Looking to buy Manchester United shares? Our guide shows the Manchester United share price and explains how to buy shares in the club (capital at risk).
Follow this simple 5 step guide to buy and sell shares in the Italian football club A.S. Roma
Looking to buy Rangers shares? Our guide shows the Rangers share price and explains how to buy shares in Rangers.
In this guide, we show you how to buy shares in the German football club Borussia Dortmund in 5 easy steps. Buy its stock now!
Find out how to buy shares in Celtic FC with this simple guide.