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EVENT: Hublot, official timekeeper of Juventus, welcomes legend and young guns to Melbourne EVENT: Hublot, official timekeeper of Juventus, welcomes legend and young guns to Melbourne

EVENT: Hublot, official timekeeper of Juventus, welcomes legend and young guns to Melbourne

Andrew McUtchen

“Are there any Juve fans here?” Craig Foster, Australia’s key football commentator and former Socceroo, asked the crowd gathered in a special roped-off, soccer pitch-themed area outside Monards at Crown Casino Melbourne. The eruption of noise and cheering said unequivocally, yes, yes there were.

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Commentator Craig Foster, Juventus legend David Trezeguet and current players Paulo Dybala and Daniele Rugani

Last night Hublot hosted an event with two current Juventus players – Daniele Rugani and Paulo Dybala, “one of the top five young talents in world football” – and one legend, David Trezeguet, to celebrate the Italian club visiting Melbourne for a series of friendly matches. The trio signed jerseys, answered questions in a translated Q&A and signed the boxes of two Hublot Big Bang UEFA EURO 2016 watches.

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David, Paulo and Daniele with Hublot Brand Manager Joel Ruiz

Hublot Brand Manager Joel Ruiz introduced the talented panel, first reminding the crowd of the decade-long association Hublot has had with football. He spoke about the honour of being the official timekeeper of the 2014 World Cup, the importance of which is described here, and later (in a moment captured by Time+Tide for an upcoming video) he shared his all-time favourite Hublot football memory. Let’s just say it involved Maradona. Watch fans may not need any more clues.

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Hublot at the 2014 World Cup

Hublot chose to partner with the club because it “is a monument in its own right, with an imposing history.” Founded in 1897, Juventus has the most supporters of any club in Italy, has historically won the most national titles, and is one of the most successful and recognised teams worldwide. According to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics, a body recognised by FIFA, Juventus was the best Italian club and second best European club of the 20th Century.

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The Hublot Big Bang Unico Chronograph Retrograde UEFA EURO 2016

Asked about Juventus’s fortunes in the future, Craig Foster only had one response: “It’s not about whether they’ll lose and end their streak of five straight Serie A titles, it’s about who else is going to beat them.”