1 November 1897 - When The Old Lady Was Young

On 1 November 1897, Juventus was founded in Turin. Over the next century, it would go on to become the most successful club in Italy. The name "Juventus" is Latin for "youth" and reflects the fact that the club was founded by students at Turin's Massimo D'Azeglio Lyceum.

Juventus, or "Juve" for short, originally played in pink and black. In 1903, however, they received a shipment of Notts County's black and white striped shirts from England and have worn the stripes ever since, earning the nickname "Bianconeri." They have also been called "The Old Lady," as a play on the name Juventus.

Juve won their first league title in 1905, after finishing as runners-up the two previous seasons. They currently have 25 league titles, including a series of five consecutive Scudettos from the 1930-31 season through the 1935-35 season and 12-season run in which they finished in the top two (1971-72 to 1983-84).

They have also enjoyed European success, advancing to the European Cup Final seven times, winning twice (1985, 1996). The 1985 victory was overshadowed by the deaths of 39 people, most of whom were Juventus supporters, when a wall collapsed at Heysel Stadium.

Juventus most recently won Serie A in 2005 and 2006 under manager Fabio Capello, but were subsequently convicted of match-fixing. The Italian Football Federation stripped Juve of those two titles and relegated the club to Serie B for the first time in its history. They won Serie B and were promoted back to the top flight at the first opportunity.

31 October 1964 - Birth Of The Dutch Master

On 31 October 1964, future World Player of the Year and three-time European Footballer of the Year Marco van Basten was born in Utrecht.

In 1981, the then-16-year old striker signed with Ajax in 1981. He made his first appearance for the senior side in April 1982, scoring a goal on his debut. He secured a starting position for the 1983-84 season and became the Eredivisie's top scorer that year with 28 goals in 26 league appearances. He remained the league's top scorer for the next three seasons.

While at Ajax, the club won three league titles (1981-82, 1982-83, 1984-85), three Dutch Cups (1983, 1986, 1987), and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1987).

In 1987, van Basten transferred to Milan. An ankle injury limited his playing time to 11 matches in that first season, but Milan won the Scudetto. Internationally, van Basten led the Netherlands to the 1988 UEFA European Championship as the tournament's top scorer. He won his first European Footballer of the Year award that year.

The following season, he helped Milan to the Serie A title and the 1989 European Cup trophy, scoring two goals in the Final along the way to claiming his second European Footballer of the Year award.

He won his third European Footballer of the Year award in 1992, along with the FIFA World Footballer of the Year award, after leading Milan to yet another Serie A title as the league's top scorer.

His recurring ankle injury ended his playing career in 1993, though he did not officially retire until 1995.

30 October 1960 - The Albicelestes' Greatest Star Is Born

On 30 October 1960, future Argentinian superstar Diego Maradona was born in the city of Lanús, Argentina.

Raised in poverty on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Maradona joined Argentinos Juniors as a 10-year old youth player. He signed his first professional contract with them in 1976 and made 167 appearances before transferring to Boca Juniors in 1981.

After an impressive performance for Argentina in the 1982 World Cup, he moved to Barcelona for a then-record fee of £5 million. Although successful during his time in Spain, winning a 1983 treble of the Copa del Rey, Copa de la Liga, and Spanish Super Cup, his relationship with the club was tempestuous and he moved to Napoli in 1984 for a new record fee of £6.9 million.

He became a true international superstar in 1986, when he captained Argentina to the World Cup title, playing every minute of every match for the Albicelestes, scoring 5 goals and making 5 assists. Two of those goals came in the legendary 2-1 win over England--the "Hand of God" and the "Goal of the Century," which cemented his status as one of football's greatest players. He followed his World Cup success by winning silverware with Napoli, including two Serie A titles (1987, 1990) and the UEFA Cup (1989). He left Napoli in 1991 and spent time with Sevilla (1992-93), Newell's Old Boys (1993), and a second stint at Boca Juniors (1995-97) before retiring.

Despite a controversial personal life, including a constant struggle with a cocaine addiction, Maradona was voted FIFA's Co-Player of the Century in 2000, along with Pelé.

Maradona currently manages the Argentinian national team, who recently secured their spot in the 2010 World Cup Finals despite a rocky start to qualification.