Verona's Miracle Season: The Story of the 1985 Serie A Champions
It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast
The Overlap
4.9 • 667 Ratings
🗓️ 16 May 2025
⏱️ 53 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast! Join co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper as they welcome special guest Richard Hough, author of 'Verona Capone, the Miracle of 85'. In this episode, Richard delves into the extraordinary story of Hellas Verona's incredible 1984-85 Serie A title win. From the chaotic Italian football landscape of the 1980s, managerial masterstrokes, and key foreign signings, to the unforgettable moments and lasting impact on the city of Verona, this episode is a deep dive into one of football's most romantic underdog stories. Join us as we explore how a small provincial team conquered giants like AC Milan and Juventus to achieve an unexpected and historic league victory.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:02 Setting the Scene: 1980s Italian Football
02:21 Verona's Rise to Glory
03:28 Economic and Social Context
05:08 Key Players and Strategic Moves
12:15 Tactical Insights and Coaching Philosophy
15:15 Foreign Players and Their Impact
22:55 The Perfect Season Opener
25:04 The Opening Goal and Season Kickoff
25:29 Verona's Iconic Moments and Key Players
30:05 The Turning Point in the Season
33:01 The Final Stretch to the Title
40:42 Celebrations and Legacy
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to It Was When It Was, Football History Podcasts. |
| 0:09.3 | I'm Jonathan Wilson and with Rob Draper. |
| 0:11.2 | And today we're joined by a very special guest, Richard Hoff. |
| 0:14.6 | The author of Verona Campione, The Miracle of 85. |
| 0:18.3 | Richard, welcome to the podcast. |
| 0:20.0 | Hi. |
| 0:20.5 | Pleasure's to be here, guys. Thanks for the invite. Richard, welcome to the podcast. Hi, pleasure to be here, guys. |
| 0:21.4 | Thanks for the invite. |
| 0:23.4 | Richard, this is just one of those beautiful, incredible stories, isn't it? |
| 0:27.7 | Obviously, it has resonance for English listeners with Lester in 2016. |
| 0:31.9 | But it had us for owner a team that really, without the sort of huge pedigree of the Giants are going to come |
| 0:39.3 | from not quite nowhere. I think as you explained in the book, the team is sometime in the |
| 0:43.2 | building, but they're going to win Syria. It's an extraordinary achievement, you know, |
| 0:50.1 | against the great of AC Milan, the events, etc. The teams that are normally winning it. |
| 0:59.5 | And you tell it really beautifully in the book, why this season stands out and the friendships and companionship and memories that are made there. But can you just set the scene for us in |
| 1:04.7 | 1980s Italian football? Really, it's the pinnacle of club football, isn't it? |
| 1:08.9 | Yeah, pretty much. It's an incredible decade for Italian football. |
| 1:12.5 | That's why I was so, I think, drawn to it. |
| 1:14.9 | The context of what happened in 1985 was really amazing. |
| 1:18.8 | You know, you go from 1980, which is this Euro 80, Euro 80, |
| 1:21.9 | which was a kind of pretty lackluster European tournament |
| 1:25.5 | where Italy kind of flunked out to Italian 90 at the end of that decade. |
... |
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