It's a sad day for football today as Serie A side Parma FC have been declared bankrupt.
A buyer could not be found for the financially-stricken club, meaning that they will have to restart life in the amateur leagues and work their way back up to prominence.
For those of us who grew up in the 90s watching James Richardson present Gazzetta Football Italia, Parma are a storied club.
Their list of former players is brilliant
Some of the teams they assembled in the 90s thanks to the funding of Parmalat include some of the best players from the '90s and early 2000s.
This photo with World Cup winners like Gigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram and Fabio Cannavaro tells its own story doesn't it?
Standing from left: Nestor Sensini, Liliam Thuram, Paul Vanoli, Alain Boghossian, Sebastian Veron, Dino Baggio and Gianluigi Buffon - Sitting By Enrico Sx Church, Fabio Cannavaro, Herman Crespo And Diego Fuser (FUMAGALLI CARLO / EMPICS Entertainment)
Great jerseys
As our own Daniel Kelly reminded me, some of their jerseys were great looking, like this one sported by Seba Veron in '99:
A reminder of Serie A's glory days
While Parma enjoyed much success in the '90s, they rode on a wave of Italian soccer's majesty with the best players in the world playing their trade across the division.
You only have to list out names like a Gabriel Batistuta at Fiorentina, George Weah at Milan and a young Zinedine Zidane at Juventus to get a bit misty eyed - and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Aside from the Champions League, Italian clubs did well in the other European competitions, with Parma claiming the UEFA Cup in 1995 and 1999 and the Cup Winners Cup in 1993.
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