1998–99 Juventus F.C. season
The 1998–99 season was Juventus Football Club's 101st in existence and 97th consecutive season in the top flight of Italian football. Season summary. Juventus endured their worst domestic season since 1990–91, with superstar Alessandro Del Piero picking up a serious knee injury in the final minutes of a 2–2 draw with Udinese on 8 November 1998. France's World Cup hero Zinedine Zidane was similarly plagued by injury. Having won the World Cup with France the previous July, Zidane promptly picked up a knee injury and further injured himself in November. Unlike the preceding four  seasons, under the guidance of Marcello Lippi, Juventus' attack malfunctioned. In December of 1998, Lippi announced his intention to depart the following June to manage Inter. In February Lippi was let go by the club, with successful former Parma coach Carlo Ancelotti taking over. With Ancelotti at the helm, Juve managed to salvage a little respectability by reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League, drawing the first-leg 1-1 at Old Trafford. Following the first-leg, playmaker Zidane limped off at half-time in Juve's home draw against Bologna on 12 April 1999. Eventual champions Manchester United  then defeated Juventus 3-2 at Stadio delle Alpi in the second-leg of the semi-final. Following that Champions League semi-final defeat, Juve's season ended poorly by their high standards, finishing a lowly seventh in Serie A. Juve had to settle for the relative ignominy of the UEFA Cup the next season.