Juventus may be in a difficult period in 2023 after years of mismanagement, but they remain the biggest club in Italian football and an institution of historic proportions.
Many of the world’s biggest legends have played for Juve, whether they were Ballon d’Or winners spending a few peak years in Turin or long-time legends who spent more than a decade with the Old Lady.
To honor the absolute best Juventus players in the club’s storied history, let’s rank the top 10 of all time, focusing on those who had an extended spell with the Bianconeri.
10. David Trézéguet
Equally adept at scoring and creating, David Trézéguet formed one of the most formidable partnerships in the history of world football with Alessandro Del Piero.
Trézéguet was at the peak of his powers in French football and an international superstar, but he is most closely associated with the Juventus brand as a loyal member of the squad.
From 2000 to 2010, Trézéguet made Turin his home, staying with the club despite their relegation to Serie B in the aftermath of the Calciopoli Scandal. Trézéguet had already made a name for himself with the French national team and Monaco before joining Juve, but it was in Turin where he truly blossomed as a household name in world football.
The top scorer and MVP of the 2001/02 Serie A season, Trézéguet won the league twice with the Bianconeri, reaching 20 goals in three different seasons.
9. Giampiero Boniperti
A one-club man, Giampiero Boniperti is one of the most historic figures of Juve’s past, dominating the 1950s with the Old Lady before becoming an executive for Juve and later embarking upon a political career.
Boniperti scored 185 goals for Italy’s biggest club, with only Del Piero surpassing the iconic striker’s total in Black and White.
Boniperti is one of many legends of the past who made a name for himself scoring goals as a striker but remained a key player later in his career as a more well-rounded type, shifting deeper into the midfield to help Juventus win matches.
He was a serial winner, hoisting the Scudetto five times in his career.
8. Pavel Nedvěd
One of the prestigious Ballon d’Or winners to have played for Juventus, Pavel Nedvěd’s flowing golden locks remain embedded in the hearts and memories of Juventini.
Nedvěd was one of the most beloved and consistent players of the 2000s, joining David Trézéguet as yet another global superstar who would not leave the Old Lady behind in their dark period after Calciopoli.
Perhaps the greatest player in the history of the Czech Republic, Nedvěd is also one of the best to have ever suited up in the Black and White of Juventus. Nedvěd had 11 assists in back-to-back seasons in 2001/02 and 02/03, playing a pivotal role in Juve taking home the Scudetto in both seasons. For his efforts, the ambipedal winger won the Ballon d’Or.
Nedvěd truly did it all for the Bianconeri on the pitch, providing the work rate of several players with the technical quality that a world-class attacking player requires.
A pass-first player, Nedvěd did so much to help the pairing of Trézéguet and Del Piero shine in one of the most unselfish attacks of the day.
7. Antonio Cabrini
On the shortlist of greatest fullbacks of all time, Antonio Cabrini helped further the tradition of Juventus having top players in these defensive positions.
Cabrini was a tenacious and highly capable defender, making a name for himself as one of the best and most elegant left backs of the 1980s.
Cabrini won six league titles for Juve, as well as the Champions League and Europa League titles.
He also took home the World Cup in 1982, having reached the semifinals for the Italian national team in the previous iteration of world football’s most prestigious tournament.
6. Giorgio Chiellini
Like Cabrini, Giorgio Chiellini was a role model for his teammates during his time with Juventus and helped both club and country (Italy) achieve the pinnacle of success.
Though the Champions League crown ultimately evaded the world-class center back, Chiellini helped lead the Bianconeri to two Champions League Finals. The back line he formed with Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli stands as one of the best of the modern era.
Chiellini actually began his career at left back and was immediately one of the best players in Italian football – not just one of the best defenders.
As he transitioned to center back, he became an even more imperious presence in defense and entrenched himself as one of world football’s most respected leaders.
A man with an aura, Chiellini’s name will always be revered in hushed tones around Turin. He truly seemed larger than life itself, commanding his teammates and bringing out the best of himself on the grandest stages of world football.
5. Michel Platini
Undoubtedly one of the most gifted technicians to ever grace the pitch, Michel Platini spent his absolute peak years with the Bianconeri.
Platini won Serie A twice and the Champions League once with Juventus, spending the final handful of his years with the historic Italian giants from 1982 to 1987.
Those proved to be the Frenchman’s best years, too. Platini scored at least 12 league goals in his first four seasons with the Old Lady, winning the Ballon d’Or in three consecutive years from 1983 to 1985.
A jaw-dropping talent, Platini brought glamor, innovation, and beauty to the Bianconeri during his time in Turin.
4. Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff is one of the greatest and most influential goalkeepers in world football history.
The man spent a little over a decade at Juventus from 1972 to 1983, winning six league titles. Zoff was a tremendous leader and one of the most consistent shot-stoppers of all time, rarely ever making a mistake.
His discipline and consistency made him revered at the time, and his legacy with Juventus is as strong today as it was during his playing days 50 years ago.
3. Gaetano Scirea
The namesake of the street that the Juventus Stadium resides on, Gaetano Scirea is one of the giants of the Italian game and the benchmark by which all the amazing center backs who have graced the pitch for the Bianconeri are compared to. Scirea was a titanic leader and one of the most feared defenders in the world when he roamed the back line.
After spending a couple of seasons in Bergamo with Atalanta to begin his career, Scirea moved to the Bianconeri in 1974 and never looked back, spending the nearly 15 years of his remaining career with the most prestigious outfit in Italy.
Scirea was the centerpiece of one of the greatest defenses of all time, joining forces with Zoff, Cabrini, and Claudio Gentille (agonizingly close to making this top 10).
In total, Scirea won seven Scudetti, as well as the Champions League and Europa League. He won at all levels, as he was also a part of the World Cup-winning Italian national team of 1982 alongside club teammate Cabrini.
2. Gianluigi Buffon
Still the third-most expensive goalkeeper transfer in world football history, Gianluigi Buffon shattered what fans knew about the transfer market when he moved from Parma to Juventus for nearly 53 million euros in 2001. It was an unprecedented move at the time, and yet looking back on it, Buffon ended up being worth so much more than that to the Bianconeri.
An indispensable part of the Italian national team that won the 2006 World Cup, Buffon was an even greater figure for Juventus over the years despite sadly never winning the Champions League.
Juve even allowed him to go to the PSG superproject for a couple of seasons to pursue UCL gold, but that didn’t work out. Thankfully, Buffon returned to Turin and still proved to be a capable keeper in his final seasons before returning to Parma.
Buffon is one of the most intelligent and consistent keepers of all time, and he only improved with age as he refined his positioning and distribution.
He took every aspect of the game seriously and has always been kind to his teammates, elevating those around him with an aura of quiet confidence that is needed at a club like Juventus.
1. Alessandro Del Piero
It takes a truly special player to be honored as the best in the history of Juventus, and there are few more ingenious attackers in world football history than the No. 10 Alessandro Del Piero.
A striker, playmaker, and trequartista rolled into one, Del Piero scored nearly 300 goals with close to 200 assists in just over 700 matches for the club.
He truly did it all in the attack, remaining loyal to Juve amidst Calciopoli to total 19 seasons with Bianconeri before moving to Sydney to enjoy the twilight of his career.
Del Piero reached double-digit goals in seven different Serie A seasons for the Old Lady, even notching 14 assists in the 1999/2000 season.
His invention, technical ability, vision, eye for the spectacular, and finishing ranked among the world’s best at at time when attacking football was arguably at its strongest.
Del Piero made those around him better but never shied from the responsibility, shining as one of the best free-kick takers in the process.
Synonymous with the prestige of Juventus, Del Piero made sure that his club always brought the highest standard of play every week, and he helped turn Juve into the most dominant powerhouse of Italian football into the 2010s. A record of six league titles and a Champions League win only briefly encapsulates what he accomplished in Turin.
