All Time XI: Juventus

Juventus, Italy’s grandest club, have had their fair few share of world class talents over the years. Selecting an All Time XI from the club’s 125-year history, as one would expect, wasn’t the simplest of tasks. Especially when one considers footage pre World War II isn’t easy to come by.

The following picks tend to come from the 1950s onwards. Some big names have been left out, illustrious names who despite starring for Juve, either didn’t do it for long enough or did it better elsewhere. 

It is, of course, all subjective and down to opinion (except for the inclusion of Roby Baggio, which was mandatory). Some difficult decisions were made and legends left on the cutting room floor. I could have very easily produced two or three all-time XIs, and they all would have been world class, such is Juve’s history. 

Agree or disagree with my choices? Leave comments/abuse @EmmetGates on Twitter. 

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon (2001-2018, 2019-2021)

One of the very few goalkeepers included in the conversation to being considered the greatest in the history of the sport (and many would argue the greatest). Buffon cost a massive £32m from Parma in the summer of 2001, and was the most expensive goalkeeper in the world for 17 years.

He was worth every penny, and then some.

Left-back: Antonio Cabrini (1976-1989)

A swashbuckling left-back who won every major European available to him while at The Old Lady. Cabrini edged out Gianluca Zambrotta in this team to secure the left-back slot due to his longevity and his integral part in the Giovanni Trapattoni’s legendary Juve side of the late 70s and early 80s.

Centre-back: Giorgio Chiellini ( 2005-2022)

The recently departed Tuscan leaves Turin as one of Juve’s greatest ever defenders. If one looked up the definition of ‘rugged centre half’ in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Chiellini, with a bloodied bandage across his head, no doubt.

Initially signed as a left-back, he was switched to the centre early on in his Juve career where he remained right until the very end. Chiellini represented arguably the last in the dying breed of defender who loved to defend first and foremost, playing with the ball was the last of his concerns. 

If you needed one defender to stop an opposing striker, he’d be one of the first you’d call.

Centre-back: Gaetano Scirea (1974-1988)

The benchmark for all Juventus defenders to follow. Scirea was the personification of an elegant defender, and was famously never shown a red card in his career, despite playing in one of the most brutal eras of football.

He formed a watertight partnership with Claudio Gentile, who was very much the yin to Scirea’s yang.  Scirea won everything with Juventus and was lauded for his fair play and sportsmanship. 

Scirea tragically died not long after his retirement in 1989 while on a scouting trip in Poland. He was only 36. “A knight, a great opponent. His death was painful for me,” said Diego Maradona of Scirea. 

Right-back: Moreno Torricelli (1992-98)

There have been better right-backs for Juve than Torricelli, but his story, in addition to his obvious quality as a player, gives him the nod to make the team. 

The rock-star looking Torricelli was famously spotted by Trapattoni during a pre-season friendly in the summer of 1992, when Juve played part-time outfit Caratese. Torricelli impressed Il Trap so much that Juve bought him after the match.

He quickly became a permanent fixture in the side for the next six years as Juve dominated first Serie A then Europe and the rest of the world. 

Midfield: Michel Platini (1982-1987)

There’s room for only one elegant Frenchman in this team, and it’s not Zinedine Zidane.

Platini was Juve’s standout player during the 1980s. Signed from St. Etienne as a replacement for the unfortunate Liam Brady, Platini, after a rough start, became the star player among a galaxy of star players in the most competitive league the game of football has ever seen.

Platini was a creative genius, but also a very good goalscorer. This was evident in the fact that he won three Capocannoniere titles in his first three seasons in Italy. He reached double figures in four of his five seasons in Serie A, and won seven trophies. 

Juve’s downfall towards the end of the 1980s can be linked directly to his retirement from the game in 1987, such was his importance.

Midfield: Edgar Davids (1997-2004)

This team needs a snarling midfielder, and who better than The Pitbull? Signed in the winter transfer window during the 1997-98 season from Milan, Davids went from Rossoneri flop to Bianconeri star in a matter of months.

He formed a vibrant partnership with Zidane at the heart of the Juve midfield, and he was one of the best in the world in his role by the turn of the millennium. A box-to-box dynamo who could do it all in midfield, Davids’ success once made Pep Guardiola bemoan that technical players like him were becoming ‘extinct’ by the beginning of the 21^st century.

And for a while he was right. Yet, Davids could also play, and chipped in with the odd goal or two during his time at Juve. A falling out with Marcello Lippi in late 2003 forced him out of the club, but his legacy had long been secured. 

Midfield: Marco Tardelli (1975-1985)

More than just that famous celebration against West Germany in the final of Spain ’82. Tardelli was an industrious midfielder who could work both ways, a destroyer yet someone, like Davids, who could chip in with a couple of goals a season. In 1980-81 he scored seven in Serie A which, given the timeframe, would’ve put him in contention for the Capocanniere award.

Tardelli was an all-rounder, and would compliment both Davids and Platini in this midfield trio. He was an integral part of Trapattoni’s first Juve side, and is one of the few players in the history of the game to win all of the major UEFA trophies.

No.10: Roberto Baggio (1990-1995)

It’s Roberto Baggio.

Forward: Alessandro Del Piero (1993-2012)

Where to even begin? Juve’s greatest ever player. In a club renowned for its No.10s, Del Piero stands tall, perhaps not on talent, but on sheer dedication and loyalty, above the rest. 

Signed as an understudy to Baggio, student eventually became master as Juve made the then-bold decision to offload Baggio and put full faith in Del Piero in the summer of 1995. And for a few years, he was considered one of the best players in the world (and in 1997-98, had a case to be the best). 

Injury against Udinese in late 1998 changed his career forever, but Del Piero 2.0 was still a formidable player. He won everything there was to win at Juve and tops Juve’s all-time list for appearances and goals. 

Most importantly, he remained loyal in the summer of 2006, and didn’t abandon a sinking ship like so many others, forever earning the love of the Juve faithful.

Forward: John Charles (1957-1962)

‘Il Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant) is still perhaps the greatest foreign player to ever wear the black-and-white stripes. Signed from Leeds in 1957, he formed a brilliant partnership with Omar Sivori and Giampiero Boniperti, known as ‘The Holy Trident’.

Charles, who could also play as a defender, scored goals for fun in Italy. He scored just under a century of goals in just five seasons in Serie A, and won three Scudetti and two Coppa Italias. 

Charles came third in the 1959 Ballon d’Or, losing out to Alfredo di Stefano. No Welshman has ever come as close again. 

Charles just edges out his Holy Trident partners Boniperti and Sivori, as well as David Trezeguet, to make the team alongside Del Piero.