We came up against a team that is being considered among the best of all time, with a front three considered potentially the best of all time, with a player who might be the best in history alongside two others who are probably in the top 10 of all players in the sport right now. A team who has more than twice our budget, never had to come back from going down to the Segunda Division, and is now in the middle of a transfer ban for all the flashy abuses it has made recently.
And we made them shit in their pants in the second half in the European final.
Sure, you want to win it all. But before this season, people dismissed Juve as some schmuck team stuck in the rotting cesspool of Serie A who had no relevance, nor business, being considered among Europe's elite. By the end of the season, we had pundit after pundit eating their words, calling Juve a great, quality side worthy of its place and accomplishments -- even at the very final against this would-be historically legendary Barca.
When Conte took over this beleaguered club, he spoke of his mission to get Juve back some fear and respect that it had clearly lost. This season has been such a huge building block on that foundation -- extending that growth to the European stage.
And I'm ok with all that.