The Player Who Was Supposed to Replace Platini at Juventus but Never Arrived
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In brief
In 1987, Uruguayan forward Enzo Francescoli signed a pre-contract to become Juventus's heir to Michel Platini and even met club president Gianni Agnelli in Paris to seal the move. The transfer collapsed before it was completed, and accounts differ on exactly why — but Francescoli never wore the black-and-white shirt, and the "successor to Platini" role eventually fell, symbolically, to the player who idolised Francescoli himself: Zinedine Zidane.
When Michel Platini left Juventus in June 1987, after several seasons that established him as one of the club's most celebrated players, the Turin club faced an unusual problem: how do you replace a player many consider one of the best of his generation? One answer almost came from Uruguay, in the shape of a forward playing in Paris — and the deal came closer to happening than most Juventus fans ever realised.
A pre-contract signed in one morning
In 1987, Enzo Francescoli was playing for Racing Paris, a club also referred to that year as Matra Racing. According to Francescoli's own account, Juventus president Gianni Agnelli invited him directly to his Paris residence to discuss a move to Turin.
Francescoli told Agnelli that his family were lifelong Juventus supporters and that inheriting Platini's place at the club, wearing the black-and-white jersey, would be the pinnacle of his career. The meeting ended with him signing a pre-contract agreement with the club.
For an entire morning in 1987, I was officially a Juve player.
— Enzo Francescoli, quoted by Juventus-fr.com and Juveoggi.it
Why the deal fell apart
French-language outlet Juventus-fr.com and Italian outlet Juveoggi.it both report that the transfer collapsed because Racing Paris (Matra Racing) refused to let Francescoli leave, blocking the move after the pre-contract had already been signed. Italian outlet Cronachedi.it gives the same version, describing the operation as blocked by the Paris club.
English-language Wikipedia's entry on Francescoli gives a different emphasis, stating that he received the Juventus offer following Platini's 1987 retirement but turned it down himself. The French and Italian accounts, drawn from Francescoli's own recent remarks, do not mention him refusing the move voluntarily — the discrepancy illustrates how the story has been told differently depending on the source.
The Zidane connection
The story carries an extra layer of irony. Francescoli himself was the childhood idol of Zinedine Zidane, who later named one of his sons Enzo in tribute to the Uruguayan. Cronachedi.it reports an anecdote in which Zidane, asked by his son about his ball control technique, told him that he had copied it from Francescoli himself.
Zidane later joined Juventus and became, in the eyes of many fans and commentators, the symbolic heir to Platini's legacy at the club — the role that had briefly, on paper, belonged to Francescoli nine years earlier.
Why the story resurfaced now
The episode has returned to the press after Francescoli gave a recent interview commenting on Juventus's current young forward, Kenan Yildiz, who wears the club's number 10 — the same number Platini made famous. Francescoli spoke favourably of Yildiz's qualities and noted that the number 10 shirt is not one that suits every player, prompting outlets to revisit his own near-miss as Platini's would-be successor.
The 1987 plan versus what actually happened
Stage
What was planned (1987)
What actually happened
Transfer
Francescoli joins Juventus to replace Platini
Deal collapsed; he stayed in France with Racing Paris/Matra Racing
First Serie A move
N/A
Joined Cagliari in 1990, after the World Cup in Italy
Later Italian clubs
N/A
Played for Torino from 1993 to 1994
Platini's symbolic heir at Juventus
Francescoli, per the signed pre-contract
Zinedine Zidane, who idolised Francescoli, later joined Juventus
Questions
Who was meant to replace Michel Platini at Juventus in 1987?
Uruguayan forward Enzo Francescoli, then playing for Racing Paris, signed a pre-contract with Juventus and met club president Gianni Agnelli to discuss succeeding Platini.
Why did Francescoli never actually join Juventus?
French and Italian outlets (Juventus-fr.com, Juveoggi.it, Cronachedi.it) report that his club, Racing Paris, blocked the move after the pre-contract was signed. English Wikipedia instead states he turned the offer down himself; the sources disagree on this point.
Did Francescoli ever play in Italy?
Yes. He joined Cagliari in 1990 and later played for Torino between 1993 and 1994, according to his Wikipedia biography.
What is the link between Francescoli and Zinedine Zidane?
Zidane idolised Francescoli as a child and named his son Enzo after him. Zidane later joined Juventus himself, becoming the symbolic heir to Platini that Francescoli had been meant to be.
Why is this 1987 story being discussed again now?
Francescoli gave a recent interview praising current Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz, who wears Platini's old number 10, which led outlets to recall his own near-transfer to replace Platini decades earlier.
How the world is telling it
FrenchJuventus-fr.com frames the episode as a poignant 'successor who never came,' highlighting the symbolic twist that Francescoli's own childhood admirer, Zidane, eventually filled the role at Juventus instead.
ItalianItalian outlets Juveoggi.it and Cronachedi.it present the story through Francescoli's own recent words, pairing his 1987 near-move with his praise for current Juventus number 10 Kenan Yildiz.
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