29. Juventus: 1995/96
Juve were arguably the most talented team of the mid-90s. The only problem was the Bianconeri didn’t put enough Champions League trophies on the table to show it, despite reaching three-straight finals.
Manager Marcello Lippi assembled a brilliant bunch featuring Del Piero, Sousa, Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravanelli. Midfield terriers Deschamps and Antonio Conte helped protect a defense underpinned by commanding goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi.
This group got it right at the first time of asking in the 1995/96 Champions League. Juve reached the final and managed to scrape by Ajax’s outrageously gifted generation on penalties.
The Amsterdam club won the trophy the season before but found Juve tough to break down. Sadly for Lippi, the greater difficulty was repeating this feat. Defeats to Dortmund and Real provided an unfair overview of what was an outstanding team, albeit one with a knack for faltering on the big occasion.