Alessio Tacchinardi joined Juventus FC from Atalanta BC in 1994 and has since blossomed into a mature, imposing central midfielder who is widely tipped for a long run in the senior national team, despite failing to make the squad for EURO 2000™. While playing a small part in the Juventus success story in the 1990s, the Cremona-born star was only really able to stake his claim to a regular berth in the first team’s midfield under former coach Carlo Ancellotti. Tacchinardi signed a new four-year contract with the Turin side in 2000. His first goal for Juventus came in the UEFA Champions League campaign of 2000/01 in a match against Panathinaikos FC. He made his professional debut aged 17, and was involved in the Italy team that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 1996. His first full cap came against in Slovenia in September 1995.