Hellas Verona provided undoubtedly the greatest shock in Italian football history when they were crowned champions of Italy in 1984/85 and they participated in the European Cup the following season with Juventus, who defeated English giants Liverpool in the 1985 final.
Torino finished second in Serie A and participated in the UEFA Cup with Inter and AC Milan while Sampdoria played in the European Cup Winners’ Cup thanks to their maiden Coppa Italia triumph.
Napoli could only finish eighth despite the arrival despite the arrival of Argentinian star Diego Maradona while Ascoli, Lazio, and Cremonese were relegated to Serie B.
Let us know your thoughts on the Serie A Team of the Season for 1984/85, which is deployed in the usual 3-4-3 formation!
Claudio Garella – Hellas Verona
Criticised in the past for making saves with body parts other than his hands, the enigmatic goalkeeper rose to hero status at the Gialloblu with his unconventional goalkeeping style and finally added fingertip saves to his repertoire.
Pietro Vierchowod – Sampdoria
The Blucerchiati had the second-best defence in Serie A, conceding just 21 goals over 30 games. In his second season with Samp, Vierchowod continually developed his reputation as one of the best man-markers in Italian football.
Roberto Tricella – Hellas Verona
The Mastini conceded just 19 goals and Tricella was an important part of the defence. He was capable of helping the team offensively as well and his club performances were rewarded with caps for Italy.
Giovanni Francini – Torino
The Granata defender had a breakthrough season, playing 27 times in the league. He also scored twice, one of them coming in a 2-1 victory against Juventus in the Derby della Mole.
Michel Platini – Juventus
Finished on top of the Serie A leading goalscoring charts for the third season in a row, finding the back of the net 18 times. The Frenchman also won his third consecutive Ballon d’Or in that year.
Junior – Torino
Despite starring at the 1982 World Cup with Brazil as a left-back, Junior was converted into a deep-lying playmaker by Torino coach Luigi Radice and he formed a great partnership in midfield with Giuseppe Dossena. Scored seven goals and posed a threat at dead-ball situations.
Graeme Souness – Sampdoria
The Scottish international left Liverpool with a great pedigree and gave a young Blucerchiati side valuable experience and belief. Il Doria finished fourth in Serie A and won the Coppa Italia for the first time with the presence of the tenacious midfielder.
Hans-Peter Briegel – Hellas Verona
One of the Mastini’s major transfer coups in the summer 1984 along with Preben Elkjaer-Larsen, Briegel provided some energetic performances in midfield. Finished second in the Gialloblu scoring with nine goals despite not being a striker.
Alessandro Altobelli – Inter
The Nerazzurri finished third in the league and Altobelli had his best season statistically, finding the back of the net on 17 occasions and finished one goal behind Michel Platini in the Capocannoniere battle.
Preben Elkjaer-Larsen – Hellas Verona
Although he scored just eight goals, his goals were still decisive and he was integral to the Gialloblu thanks to his tireless running. Finished second in the Ballon d’Or to Michel Platini in 1985.
Diego Maradona – Napoli
After slowly adapting to Italian football, the mercurial Argentine sprung to life and scored 14 goals in his first Serie A campaign. Won the 1984/85 Guerin d’Oro, Italian magazine Sportivo Guerin’s award for best player.
