Ahead of their Champions League match on Tuesday evening, Manchester United gave their fans an insight into the history of Juventus, making note of a nickname among opponents of the Bianconeri being ‘Rubentus’.
“One of the disparaging nicknames given to ‘the Old Lady’ by tifosi from rivals like Fiorentina, Inter and Napoli is ‘Rubentus’,” an article on the official Manchester United website said.
“This comes from the Italian rubare, meaning ‘to steal’, and derives from the Bianconeri’s once-murky reputation culminating in the Calciopoli scandal that saw them stripped of the 2005 title and relegated to Serie B as punishment for a series of match-fixing allegations.
“And before Channel 4’s Football Italia gave Serie A makeover in the 1990s – casting the country as a Fellini-esque dreamscape of pretty piazzas and cosy cafes, where the ice cream never melts – British fans eyed Italian teams with suspicion.
“Their ability was never questioned; some of their other ‘tactics’ undoubtedly were.”
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com