Jan 2

Jan 2 Juventus: Their 5 Greatest Players

The 5 Best Juventus Players of all time

Juventus Football Club has seen some of the biggest names in football don the iconic black-and-white strip over the years.

Many champions have come through Juventus’ ranks throughout their rich 122-year history, including some of the nation’s most prominent legends. The Juventus stadium ushered in a new era for the club and they hope to regain their place amongst Europe's elite.

The club has also welcomed elite players beyond Italy’s borders, and it has never been shy to provide a platform for international talent to make a name for themselves.

Whether it was Giovanni Trappatoni’s Juventus in the late 70s or Marcello Lippi’s Le Zebre in the early 90s, the mission at the club has always been clear. As their slogan suggests, victory is above all else.

Italian football has a reputation for "door-bolt" defence backline, often known as "catenaccio", but the Juventus faithful have always had a love affair for innovative attacking midfielders, giving particular importance to the club’s historic number ten jersey.

Without further ado, here are the 5 greatest players in Juventus’ history

Michel Platini (1982-1987):

Appearances: 223

Goals: 104

Assists: 24

The French "Killing Master", Michel Platini is regarded as one of the greatest French players of all time. He was already a well-established player and a household name when he joined the Old Lady in 1982 and he became even more successful in his time playing for the Le Zebre.

Nicknamed the King "Le Roi" for his leadership skills on the pitch, Platini was a sublime passer of the ball, deadly from free-kicks, and, despite being a midfielder, a constant goal threat.

He almost managed a goal every two games for the Bianconeri between 1982 and 1987, on top of the many he created for the likes of Zbigniew Boniek and Paolo Rossi farther forward.

Throughout his 5 years in Turin, Platini won 3 Ballon d'Or and led Juventus to a European Cup as well as 2 Scudetti. His crowning achievements came in the Champions League where he appeared twice in the final, both with Juve, and helped Juventus win their first Champions League trophy in 1984-85 against Liverpool.

Platini scored the only goal of the match from a penalty kick, which was given suspiciously.

Although his career after retirement may have tarnished his name, there is no denying that he will forever be one of the greatest Juventus players of all time.

Gianluigi Buffon (2001-2018):

Appearances: 685

Clean Sheets: 322

Considered by many to be the greatest goalkeeper of all time, Gigi Buffon is the pinnacle of career longevity at the very top of the footballing pyramid.

He seems to have found the fountain of youth because he is still playing today- and is as good as any goalkeeper half his age. This career longevity has allowed him to break many records, including the most appearances by a player in any Italian club history with 685 appearances and the most amount of clean sheets by a goalkeeper, with a staggering 322 clean sheets and a 47% clean sheet ratio.

Buffon's record for the Azzurri is hardly lacking either, with his World Cup win in 2006, the same year he finished runner-up for the Ballon d'Or- an incredible feat for a keeper.

Buffon’s career has been showered with honours and personal accolades, including 12 league titles, a World Cup, and countless personal records to boot.

Nicknamed Superman, Buffon was extremely agile in his prime. He was good at organising the back-line and like Dino Zoff, another one of the best Juventus players of all time, he was reliable in goal. Just like Zoff, he was also a pillar in Italy’s national team, helping them in the 2006 World Cup win, where he recorded 5 clean sheets in the tournament.

Buffon will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the best Italian players of all time, as well as a legendary Juventus player. At 43 years of age, he still has some gas left in the tank- and could very well improve on all his records at Parma!

Alessandro Del Piero (1993-2012):

Appearances: 705

Goals: 290

Assists: 91

Named after the famous painter “Pinturicchio” due to his ability to create something out of nothing, Del Piero has accomplished it all with Juventus. But his time at Juventus cannot be expressed just in numbers as he meant so much more than that for Juventus fans and even football fans in general.

The diminutive playmaker is currently Juventus’ all-time leading goal scorer with 290 goals, and he has claimed a number of trophies along the way, including 8 Serie A titles and Juventus’ last Champions League title, in 1996.

He started playing for Calcio Padova when he was a teenager, and after a couple of seasons, Juventus took a risk and brought him to Turin. He hit the ground running and soon became a regular player.

He often played as a supportive striker, a role some called “9 and a half” where he assisted goals as well as scoring them. He was particularly good at taking free kicks and penalties, having scored 111 goals from set pieces.

Due to his creative style of play, eye for the goal, flair, and technical skill, Del Piero was known as a "Fantasista" in Italy. His hard-working style was regarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting many goals as well as scoring them, as opposed to just "goal poaching".

Due to his technical characteristics, link-up play, and ability at one-twos, Del Piero usually played as a supporting striker, which was his preferred role. However, he was a tactically versatile forward, with good movement and clinical finishing, who was capable of playing anywhere along the front line. He also established himself as a prolific goalscorer throughout his career.

Undoubtedly, Alessandro Del Piero was at the heart of Juventus. He was indeed one of the most iconic players of his generation and will always be remembered for his footballing grace!

Giampiero Boniperti (1945-1961):

Appearances: 459

Goals: 179

Assists: 3

Boniperti gave it all for Juventus, having spent the entirety of his 15-year career at Juve. That’s why he is called ‘Mr. Juventus’. Widely considered as the club’s best striker of all time, Boniperti captained the side in the 1950s and helped Juventus establish themselves as Italian giants.

Until Del Piero broke his record in 2006, Boniperti held the record as Juventus’ highest goal scorer.

Giampiero Boniperti was a classic one-club man. He played over 450 league games for Juve during a career that spanned from the end of the Second World War to 1961.

His partnership with John Charles and Omar Sivori upfront was known as the "Magical Trio" and it is one of the greatest games ever seen. Boniperti’s commitment to the club is unquestionable.

A talented, creative, and prolific forward, with solid technique, Boniperti is regarded by several pundits as one of the most technically gifted players of all time.

Due to his ball control, technical ability, vision, tactical intelligence, and passing range, he excelled as an attacking player with excellent finishing and ball-playing attributes, creatively supporting his more offensive teammates John Charles and Omar Sívori. In addition to his football ability, he was also known for his leadership.

Boniperti will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest one-club men, having spent his entire 16-year career with the Old Lady!

Pavel Nedvěd (2001-2009):

Appearances: 327

Goals: 65

Assists: 59

Nedved joined Juventus in 2001 from Lazio and quickly became a favourite with the fans. He had an incredible work rate, and an ability to show up for all the club’s big moments.

Throughout his time with the Le Zebre, the winger established himself as one of the best in his position, lifting the Ballon d’Or in 2003.

Perhaps the best Czech player ever, Nedved spent 8 years at Juventus and his career at the Old Lady was divided into 2 distinct periods. The first period was his most successful time at the club, and the second part followed after the Calciopoli scandal in 2006, in which Juventus (despite being champions) were demoted to Serie B due to fixing matches.

Although he was a great player for Juve before Calciopoli, the solidarity that he showed the club by staying with them even in Serie B is one of the reasons Juve fans love him so much and why he is one of the best Juventus players of all time.

Nedved, who at the time was considered to be one of the best players in the world, could have gone to any top club in the world but he stayed with Juve and helped them back to Serie A one year later.

The Czech Fury, Nedvěd was a complete, tenacious, and consistent two-footed player. He frequently played as a left-sided, offensive wide midfielder or as a left-winger throughout his career, due to his crossing ability with his left foot, as well as his ability to cut inside and shoot with his right foot.

However, he was capable of playing anywhere in midfield due to his offensive and defensive work rate, as well as his versatility, physicality, and tackling ability, which enabled him to start attacking plays after winning back possession.

Known for his trademark long blonde hair, which made him a highly recognisable player on the pitch.

This promising and stylish lad from the Czech Republic will always be remembered as one of the most eminent stars in Juventus history as well as being one of the greatest Czech football players of all time.