Month: March 2023

Bayern Munich is far and away the most successful football club in German history, and much of that is thanks to the amazing amount of talent that it’s hard over the years. Of those many players, though, which ones stand out as the best? We’ve narrowed it down to the five best players in Bayern Munich history. Before we start the list, some of the players who just missed the cut include Klaus Augenthaler, Phillip Lahm, Sepp Maier, Stefan Effenberg, and Franck Ribery.

Oliver Kahn

Though he may not have spent his entire playing career with Bayern Munich, Oliver Kahn is a staple of the club through and through. Khan was born in Karlsruhe in 1969 and began his playing career with Karlsruher SC, making his pro debut on the top squad in 1990. After four years, Khan moved on to Bayern where he spent the final 14 years of his playing days before retiring and moving into the front office, assuming the CEO position in 2021.

With 632 matches played for Bayern Munich, Oliver Kahn is third all-time in club history. Kahn helped Bayern Munich house the Bundesliga title eight times and also won the UEFA Champions League in 2001. He was named the league’s top goalkeeper seven times throughout his illustrious career and finished in the top three of Ballon d’Or voting twice.

Bastian Schweinsteiger

One of the most versatile midfielders of his era, Bastian Schweinsteiger was one of the most recognizable footballers in Germany for nearly two decades. Schweinsteiger joined the Bayern Munich youth program in 1998, then made his way to the top squad in 2002 where he would remain for 13 years. He then rounded out his career with brief stints with Manchester United and Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer.

Schweinsteiger played an even 500 matches for Bayern Munich, placing him at 10th all-time in club history. In addition to his 2013 UEFA Champions League win, Schweinsteiger helped Bayern Munich win the German Bundesliga eight times. In 2018, he was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame.

Franz Breckenbauer

The oldest player on the list is Franz Beckenbauer, a Munich native who made the switch from midfielder to defender, becoming one of the best to ever play the position. Breckenbauer joined the Bayern Munich club in 1959 as a teen, then made his professional debut in 1964. He would spend 13 years as part of the top squad before rounding out his playing days with Hamburger SV and the New York Cosmos, retiring in 1983 before two stints as Bayern manager.

Breckenbauer is fifth all-time on the club list for most appearances with 582. He won the Bundesliga title four times as a player (and once as a manager) while also being the only player on the list to win multiple Ballon d’Or Trophies (1972 and 1976) while also being in the top three on three other occasions.

Thomas Muller

The top two players in Bayern Munich’s history share the same surname, though they are in no way related to one another and have a wide age gap. The first on the list is Thomas Muller, a Weilheim in Oberbayern native who has set many club records. Muller was born in 1989 and joined the Bayern youth program at 10 years old. In 2008, he was brought up to the main squad and became a staple, taking on any position that he was asked to play.

Due to Muller’s versatility, Bayern Munich has won the Bundesliga title more than 10 times while he’s been a member of the squad. The club has also won several other trophies including the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup twice. Muller is third all-time in goals scored for Bayern, and near the top for all-time appearances.

Gerd Muller

The other Muller on the list (and the top player overall) is, of course, Gerd Muller. Known as Der Bomber, Muller is one of those rare players on the list who wasn’t part of Bayern Munich’s youth program. Instead, he came up with 1861 Nordlingen, making his professional debut in 1963. The following year, he joined Bayern Munich and became a high-scoring striker for 15 years before wrapping up his playing days in the United States in 1981.

Muller was able to help Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga title four times throughout his career, as well as the European Cup three times. In 1970, Muller won the Ballon d’Or Trophy as the world’s top player and also finished in the top three on three other occasions. In 2007, Muller was given the Golden Foot as a football legend. He holds the record for most goals in Bayern Munich history with 563, more than 200 ahead of any other player.

Bayern Munich is perhaps the first name that you think about when talking about German football. The club has had unprecedented success, winning a long list of league and continental titles throughout its prestigious history. Much of that is thanks in part to some fantastic managers, with these five men standing out as the best in club history. Before we start the list, some of the managers who just missed the list include Jupp Heynckes, Dettmar Cramer, Zlatko Cajkovski, and Felix Magath.

Louis Van Gaal

Dutchman Louis Van Gaal enjoyed a long playing career throughout the 1970s and 1980s, playing in his first matches with Royal Antwerp. Van Gall then joined Telstar for a brief period prior to heading to Sparta Rotterdam where he spent the bulk of his career (eight years). He wrapped up with AZ in 1987, then went into managing, landing his first gig with Ajax in 1991. After bouncing around to a handful of teams including Barcelona, Van Gaal became the Bayern Munich manager from 2009 to 2011.

Van Gaal managed 96 games with Bayern Munich. During that time he won 59 of those matches, losing just 19 times. From 2009 to 2010, Van Gaal saw his squad win the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and DFL-Supercup while nearly winning the UEFA Champions League.

Hansi Flick

The first German manager on the list is Hansi Flick, who spent much of his playing career with Bayern Munich during the 1980s. Flick also played for SV Sandhausen, 1. FC Koln, and Victoria Bammental before retiring in 2000. Toward the end of his career, he was a player-manager, then took over at 1899 Hoffenheim. After serving for several years as an assistant with various clubs, Flick took over as Bayern’s manager from 2019 to 2021.

Flick managed just 86 matches during his Bayern Munich career, but what he was able to accomplish during that time was absurd. He lost just seven matches, winning 81.4 percent of those matches. Bayern won the Bundesliga in back-to-back years while also winning the UEFA Champions League with Flick at the helm.

Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has had plenty of time in the spotlight both as a player and manager, though much of it has come in his native Spain. Guardiola was most-known for his playing days with Barcelona, though he also played for the likes of Roma, Al-Ahli, and Dorados during his 18-year professional career. After retiring, he began managing Barca’s B team, then took over as top manager until making the move to Bayern Munich in 2013. He remained in Germany until 2016 before heading to Manchester City.

In three consecutive seasons from 2013-14 to 2015-16, Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga with Guardiola as the manager. He also won the DFB-Pokal in two out of three years while also adding a UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup to his resume. Overall, he finished with an impressive 121 wins in his 161 matches, losing just 19 times.

Ottmar Hitzfeld

A bit of a journeyman throughout his career, Ottmar Hitzfled played for Basel, VfB Stuttgart, Lugano, and Luzern between 1971 and 1983. Hitzfeld then took on the managerial role with SC Zug after retiring, then managed Aarau and Grasshoppers until the early 1990s. Hitzfled was the manager of Borussia Dortmund from 1991 until 1997, then had two stints with Bayern Munich from 1998 to 2008, ending his career as the Swiss National Team manager. 

During his first stint with Bayern Munich, Hitzfeld finished with a record of 193 wins, 73 draws, and 53 losses. In his second, he had 45 wins, 20 draws, and 11 losses. Overall, Hitzfeld was able to guide Bayern to the Bundesliga title five times, winning the DFB-Pokal three times, and the DFB-Ligapokal four times. In 2001, Bayern won both the Intercontinental Cup and UEFA Champions League under Hitzfeld.

Udo Lattek

While the rest of the managers on the list had lengthy playing careers with some pretty high-level clubs, that wasn’t really the case for Udo Lattek. Born in Bosemb, Lattek was only in the top flight for the final few years of his career before retiring and becoming an assistant coach for West Germany’s National team. In 1970, he took over Bayern Munich for the first of his two stints, with the other going from 1983 to 1987.

During his overall career with Bayern, Lattek won the Bundesliga title a whopping six times. He also won the DFB-Pokal three times and the European Cup once. ESPN ranked Lattek as one of the 20 greatest football managers of all-time while other outlets put him in the top 40. Lattek won more than 61 percent of his matches with Bayern Munich, losing just 67 times total in over 400 matches.

AC Milan is one of the most prestigious clubs in Europe with continent-wide titles won left and right throughout its history. The club is also one of the wealthiest, and is able to retain some of the biggest names in the sport. Because of that, there have been some all-time greats to make their way through the ranks, but which of them are truly the best?

Today, we’ll reveal our top five players in AC Milan’s history. Before we start the list, some of the players who just missed the cut include Gianni Rivera, Mauro Tassott, Massimo Ambrosini, and Gennaro Gattuso.

Gunnar Nordahl

Gunnar Nordahl was born in Sweden and began his football career in his home country during the mid-1930s with Hornefors IF where he’d spend the rest of the decade. Nordahl then made his way to Degerfors IF and IFK Norrkoping during the 1940s, but wrapped up the decade with AC Milan where he spent the next seven years.

Nordahl holds just about every scoring record in AC Milan history, including career goals with 221. At the time, almost all of his matches were in league play, making it doubly impressive, and he only needed seven years to set that record. Nordahl had just 257 league matches and scored 210 times in those games.

Franco Baresi

Travagliato native Franco Baresi was a defenseman who spent his entire playing career with AC Milan. He joined the two-decade club in the same year of his retirement (1997) after coming up with the club’s youth program throughout the 1970s. Baresi went into management after retiring, though he would end up retiring from coaching in the mid-2000s and has been enjoying the quiet life ever since.

Baresi is second all-time in matches played for AC Milan with 719, and 532 of those were in league play. Though he doesn’t hold any scoring records due to being a defender, Baresi was still able to score 16 times. Baresi won Serie A six times as a member of AC Milan and won the UEFA Champions League another three times.

Ruud Gullit

Another member of the list to hail from the Netherlands, Ruud Gullit started his professional career with HFC Haarlem in the late 1970s. After spending time with Feyenoord and PSV throughout much of the 1980s, Gullit made his way to AC Milan where he played more matches than with any other squad, and his tenure ran from 1987 until 1994. He then wrapped up with Sampdoria and Chelsea in the 1990s before becoming a manager.

Gullit is one of a handful of players to win the Ballon d’Or Trophy as a member of AC Milan, doing so in 1987. He was also named World Soccer Player of the Year twice during that time and netted 38 goals during his 125 league appearances. Gullit helped AC Milan win Serie A three times, as well as the Supercoppa Italiana twice.

Marco van Basten

Dutchman Marco van Basten spent time with several youth programs growing up before making his way to Ajax in 1981 where he made his professional debut. Van Basten made over 130 appearances with the squad during the decade before he wrapped up his career with AC Milan, spending seven years there before retiring in 1995 and getting into the managerial side of things.

Van Basten is the only man on the list to win the Ballon d’Or multiple times while a member of Inter Milan. He won the award in back-to-back years in 1988 and 1989, then added his third in 1992. Van Basten won Serie A three times with AC Milan as well as the Supercoppa Italia twice (1988 and 1992) and is seventh all-time in club history with 125 goals. What’s most impressive is that van Basten did it far fewer matches than most other members toward the top of the list.

Paolo Maldini

The other member on the list outside of Franco Baresi to play his entire professional career with AC Milan is local hero Paolo Maldini. He started with the youth program in 1978 and after six years he was brought up to the senior club. Maldini stuck around with the club for a quarter-century, and the defender makes the cut as the top player in AC Milan’s illustrious history.

Maldini holds the record for most matches played as a member of AC Milan with over 900, putting him nearly 200 ahead of any other player. Of those, 647 of them were league matches, and he won a long list of honours. This includes seven Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia, and three Supercoppa Italianas. Maldini won the 2003 Ballon d’Or Trophy, too, as the world’s top player of the year.

AC Milan has a history that dates back to the end of the 19th century, and over the years, the club has had a long list of managers. Some have come and gone rather quickly without much success, but then there are others that stuck around for years while also winning trophies left and right.

Of those many managers, which ones rank as the best, though? Here are our selections for the five best in AC Milan history. Before we start the list, some of the managers who just missed the cut include Herbert Kilpin, Nils Liedholm, Antonio Busini, and Stefano Pioli.

Giuseppe Viani

Giuseppe Viani had a playing career that lasted for nearly two decades, including long stints with Inter Milan and Lazio. He wrapped up his career with Salernitana in 1943 and quickly got into management. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, he managed several teams before finding a home with AC Milan from 1957 to 1960. It was a great way to cap off Viani’s full-time managerial career.

Viani had 376 matches as the AC Milan manager, placing him third all-time. During his tenure, Viani won the Serie A title in 1957 and 1959, while also nearly winning the European Cup in between. He was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2018 thanks to his long managerial stretch.

Arrigo Sacchi

Fusignano native Arrigo Sacchi is one of those rare men that didn’t have a long and prestigious playing career in football while also being able to achieve a lot as a manager. Sacchi became a manager for the first time in 1973 with Fusignano and had several stints during the 1980s before landing with AC Milan for the first time in 1987. After four years, Sacchi went on to manage the Italian National Team before returning to Milan in 1996 and 1997.

Sacchi is the only manager on the list that’s outside of the top five of matches managed but does sit in sixth with 220. Sacchi was able to get a lot done during that time, winning eight trophies including one Serie A title. Sacchi also won the Supercoppa Italiana and had two trophies each from the UEFA Champions League, Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.

Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti had a trio of long stints as a player during his career, getting his start with Parma in the late 1970s before joining Roma for nearly a decade. For the last five years of his playing career, Ancelotti was a member of AC Milan, netting 10 goals in 112 appearances. He has managed some of the more notable teams in Europe, including Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, and he managed AC Milan from 2001 to 2009.

Ancelotti is tied for third all-time in terms of trophies won as AC Milan manager and ranks second in matches managed with 420. Ancelotti won the Serie A title once during his long tenure, while also being one of just three managers to win the Coppa Italia. Ancelotti added a handful of other titles to bring his total to eight.

Fabio Capello

Fabio Capello is one of the more identifiable figures in football as he has been involved with several major clubs as both a player and manager. He spent his playing career with SPAL, Roma, Juventus, and AC Milan then became the club’s manager in 1991 just more than a decade after his retirement. Capello had two stints with Milan from 1991 to 1996 and 1997 to 1998.

Capello ranks third all-time in AC Milan history in terms of matches managed with an even 300. Despite managing fewer games than those behind him on the list, he’s second all-time in trophies won with nine. Among those is the club record for Serie A titles, winning four of them. Capello also won the Supercoppa Italiana three times while adding a UEFA Cup Champions League and Super Cup.

Nereo Rocco

Born in what was then considered Austria-Hungary, Nereo Rocco spent much of his playing career with Triestina, appearing in more than 230 matches during the 1930s. He would then spend time with several other clubs including Napoli before retiring in 1945 and managing his original club. Rocco had three stints as the AC Milan manager, with the first coming from 1961 to 1963 while the other two were from 1967 to 1973 and in 1977.

Rocco has more appearances as a manager than any other man in AC Milan’s history, and he also has more trophies than any other. Rocco retired with 10 in total, including two from winning the Serie A championship. Rocco also took home the Coppa Italia three times while also winning the UEFA Champions League and Winners’ Cup twice each. 

Juventus is one of the more popular clubs in Europe thanks to a long history of success where there has been a long list of trophies and legendary players. Along the way, there have also been some classic matches where Juventus has come out on top. Let’s take a look at five of those matches that every Juventus supporter should be familiar with as they’re part of the club’s overall legacy.

The First Euro Cup Win

Prior to being known as the UEFA Champions League, the European Cup was where the top clubs throughout the continent came together to determine the best of the best. Heading into the 1985 European Cup, Juventus had never won the title before. In the preliminary round, Juventus easily advanced past Ilves, then got through Grasshopper, Sparta Praha, and Bordeaux to advance to the finals.

Liverpool awaited Juventus to determine the champion and neither team scored in the first half. Finally, Juventus netted the match’s only goal with a penalty kick from Michel Platini. Liverpool spent the next half-hour trying to even the score, but Juventus held strong and claimed its first European title.

2003 Champions League Semifinals

It isn’t always the final game of a major tournament that gets remembered fondly. After all, everyone remembers when the United States defeated the Soviet Union in hockey during the 1980 Olympics, but that wasn’t even the final game. A similar situation happened in the 2003 Champions League tournament. Juventus advanced from a group that contained Valencia, Roma, and Deportivo de la Coruna.

Then, Juventus knocked out Barcelona in extra time during a thrilling quarterfinal matchup. Juventus would lose the finals to Milan in penalties, but the semifinal against Real Madrid was one for the record books. Real Madrid took the first match 2-1, but Juventus stormed back in a big way at home. David Trezeguet scored in the 12th minute, while Alessandro Del Piero (43’) and Pavel Nedved gave Juventus a two-goal aggregate advantage. Zinedine Zidane tried to get Real Madrid back into it with an 89th-minute goal, but it was too late as Juventus won 3-1.

The Largest Win in Club History (1926-27 Coppa Italia)

The Coppa Italia was established in 1922, and Juventus has claimed the championship more times than any club. Vado won the inaugural title, but there would be no winners until 1936. It isn’t because the tournament wasn’t played, however, it just was canceled due to a lack of interest after starting up. The largest win in Juventus history came from one of those canceled tournaments, however, so it’s easy to remember.

Juventus didn’t have to participate in the first round, and in the second round, they took on Cento. The match ended up being an absolute beatdown, with Juventus taking home a 15-0 victory. It was the only ever matchup between the two clubs, and Virginio Rosetta scored the first three goals of the match. Eugenio Rossi added three more while Enrico Savio scored a match-high five.

Beatdown of Inter (1961)

While Cento was one of those clubs that you’d expect Juventus to walk all over, Inter isn’t one of those clubs. The two sides have been rivals for a very long time, and both have had some big victories over the years. The rivalry started in earnest with their 1961 matchup in Turin which saw Juventus break away early and never look back. From the 11th minute to the 17th minute, Omar Sivori scored a hattrick to put Juventus ahead 3-0.

The lead would extend to 7-0 after Sivori netted two more while Bruno Nicole added another and Francesco Riefolo netted an own goal. Sandro Mazzola got Inter on the board, but Juventus scored twice more near the end of the game, including another from Omar Sivori in the 88th minute to cap off a double hattrick to wrap up the 9-1 victory.

Champions League Victors

After winning the European Cup in 1985, the name of the tournament changed to the Champions League in the early 1990s, and Juventus has won the Champions League once since the change. That came in the 1995-96 tournament and marked the biggest victory in Juventus history. Juventus won its group which also consisted of Borussia Dortmund, Steaua Bucuresti, and Rangers.

Juventus then upset Real Madrid with a 2-0 win in the second leg of the quarterfinals to take a 2-1 aggregate victory. They staved off a fierce comeback attempt by Nantes in the semifinals, then met with Ajax for the title. Juventus scored in the 12th minute, but Ajax responded in the 41st. Neither team would score until penalties, with Juventus netting all four attempts to win the match.

As one of the most successful football clubs in Europe, there have been some incredible moments throughout Real Madrid history. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s all been sunshine and rainbows. In fact, there have been times of immense pain for Real Madrid supporters, with some moments that looked like they might set the club back for years. Here are five of the worst moments in Real Madrid history, in no particular order.

1989 European League Semis

Real Madrid is no stranger to winning the UEFA Champions League, even when it was called the European Cup for decades. In fact, Real won the first five cups with wins over four different clubs. After its win in 1960, it would be 40 years until the club reclaimed the title. There were some close calls along the way, including Real reaching the semifinals of the 1989 European Cup.

Real was up against Milan, and things looked decent after the first match with the teams drawing 1-1. In the second match, however, things got out of hand quickly. Carlo Ancelotti and Franklin Rijkaard netted goals in the 18th and 25th minute, respectively, while Ruud Gullit made it a 3-0 match at halftime. Madrid came out flat in the second half as Milan netted two more in the 49th and 59th minutes, giving the club a 5-0 defeat en route to Milan shutting out Steaua Bucuresti for the European Cup title.

Acquiring Hazard

With the way he performed throughout the rest of his career, signing Eden Hazard should have been one of the best moments in Real Madrid history. After all, he had 36 goals during his 147 league matches with Lille, then turned it on while a member of Chelsea, scoring 85 times in league play. In 2019, Real Madrid signed Hazard until the summer of 2024 with a contract worth between €100 million and €146.1 million.

Needless to say, it didn’t end up being worth the money. Hazard seemed disinterested straight from the get-go, reporting to camp out of shape and suffering from injuries here and there that limited his playing time. At one point, Hazard had gone more than a full calendar year without netting a goal. While Real Madrid continued its success, it did so without Hazard for the most part.

Ending the 2018-19 Season

Pretty much anything that could have gone wrong for Real Madrid indeed did go wrong throughout the 2018-19 season. Despite not losing for the first five matches in league play, Real Madrid lost four of its next five en route to losing 12 times throughout the season while winning 21 and drawing five. Real Madrid finished third in the league table, which isn’t bad on paper, but there was a large gap between them and the top two teams.

At that point, Real Madrid had not lost more than 17 matches in over 20 years, but that would change during the final week of La Liga play. Real Madrid squared off against Real Betis, and were shut out 2-0 to wrap up the season with 18 losses. The club bowed out in the semis against Barcelona of the Copa del Rey and were knocked out by Ajax in the UEFA Champions League.

The Barca Beatdown

In the 2010-11 La Liga season, it appeared that Real Madrid was well on its way to cruising to a league title. In the first 12 matches, Real Madrid hadn’t lost, winning 10 of those matches while drawing with Mallorca and Levante. That would change in the 13th week, however, when El Clasico came up on the calendar. Real Madrid came out flat, and Barcelona took a major advantage.

Xavi scored in the 10th minute for Barca, with Pedro adding a second goal just eight minutes later. Instead of rebounding in the second half, Real Madrid came out even worse, surrendering two goals to David Villa in three minutes while Jeffren Suarez netted one of his own to make it 5-0. The match ended after Sergio Ramos received a red card in stoppage time, furthering the embarrassment. Barca went on to win La Liga by four points, with many pointing at this match as the deciding factor.

Outside of the Top 5

You don’t have to know much about football at all to correctly assume that Real Madrid is going to finish in the top five of La Liga. That wasn’t the case in the 1995-96 season, however, as Real finished the season in sixth place.

Real Madrid won 20 of its 42 matches, drawing 10 times and losing a dozen. What makes matters even worse is that the club had to scratch and claw at the end, finishing with four straight wins just to get to sixth place.

With any football club around the world, there are going to be some serious ups and downs. For fans of Juventus, there have thankfully been far more ‘ups’ throughout the club’s history. Of those highlight moments, which ones were the best for fans? Here are the five best moments in Juventus history when it was truly great to be a supporter.

Giampiero Boniperti’s Debut

Many consider Barengo native Giampiero Boniperti to be the greatest player in Juventus history thanks to his 15-year career that was spent entirely with the club. He would go on to become a politician who was part of the European Parliament during the 1990s, but long before that, he was the first superstar in Juventus history. In March 1947, Boniperti made his debut for Juventus and he’d never look back.

Over the course of his career, Boniperti played 443 league matches, scoring 178 times in that span. He helped Juventus win the Serie A title five times, as well as back-to-back Coppa Italia titles. He was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2012, and the striker put Juventus on the map.

Formation of Il Trio Magico

Of course, Boniperti saw most of his success throughout his career when he was teamed up with Omar Sivori and John Charles. The three men made up what was known in Italy as Il Trio Magico, or The Magic Trio for us English speakers. All three would come from different parts of the world but were able to blend together magnificently over their four years together.

Charles was born and raised in Wales, then made his way to England to play for Leeds United. Meanwhile, Sivori was from Argentina and played for River Plate in his native country. In August 1957, Juventus spent £65,000 to obtain Charles and an undisclosed amount on Sivori to form the trio which would get Juventus out of a dry spell and back into the top of the fixture. Together, Il Trio Magico won several major trophies including three Serie A titles.

Trap Takes the Reigns

Throughout the course of his playing career, Giovanni Trapattoni mostly played for AC Milan, making 274 appearances from 1959 to 1971. He then wrapped up his career with Varese in 1972 and returned to AC Milan to become the club’s manager. After a couple of years in charge of the club, Trapattoni made his way to Juventus for the first of his two stints which would total 13 years.

Trap ended up being the man that Juventus needed to get them to the top tier of Serie A, and he would win the league title six times in a decade. He also helped guide Juventus to a pair of Coppa Italia wins, as well as the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, European Super Cup, and Intercontinental Cup. Trap was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

First Champions League Title

Juventus had its first chance to win the UEFA Champions League (back when it was the European Cup) when it faced off against Ajax in 1973. Unfortunately, the club would fall just short as Ajax won the finals 1-0. It would take some time for Juventus to get back to the finals, and Juventus lost for a second time in 1983, this time against Hamburger SV.

It turned out that the third time was the charm for Juventus. In 1985, the club faced off against Liverpool in Brussels, but neither team scored in the first half. Juventus got on the board first thanks to a penalty kick from Michel Platini, and neither team would score again, giving Juventus the 1-0 win and its first Champions League title.

Return to Glory After Scandal

Juventus had won the 2004-05 Serie A title, but a few years later, the title was stripped after the Calciopoli scandal that rocked Italian football. Club executives throughout Serie A had been illegally communicating with referees and fixing matches. Not only did Juventus get stripped of its title, but the club was also relegated to Serie B and had to work its way up.

It didn’t take long for Juventus to win Serie B and return to the top league, but it would be a few years before they were back on top of Serie A. Juventus had been in a dogfight with AC Milan for much of the 2011-12 Serie A campaign, but Juventus came out on top with 84 points. The league title marked a return to prominence following a scandal that may have ended operations for most clubs.

Juventus is one of the most prestigious football clubs not just in Italy, but throughout all of Europe. Over the years, Juve has had some of the best footballers in the world, many of which have been considered all-time greats. Who among those ranks as the best of all time, though? Here are our picks for the five best players in Juventus history. Before we start the list, some of the players who just missed the cut include Pavel Nedved, Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio, Dino Zoff, Gaetano Scirea, and Omar Sivori.

Zinedine Zidane

Frenchman Zinedine Zidane is one of those rare footballers who shows up frequently on the all-time best lists for several different clubs, whether it be as a player or manager. Zidane began his career in 1989 with Cannes, and he’d spend three years there before spending another four with Bordeaux. In 1996, Zidane joined Juventus to begin a five-year stint prior to finishing his playing days with another five years at Real Madrid.

Zidane helped Juventus win Serie A in back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998, and during that time he also won the UEFA Super Cup, Supercoppa Italiana, and Intercontinental Cup. Thanks to his efforts in 1998, he was recognized as the world’s top player, winning the Ballon d’Or Trophy.

Michel Platini

Michael Platini may have been known in his post-playing days as the President of UEFA, but his playing and managerial careers were also certainly worth noting. Platini began his professional career with Nancy, spending seven years with the club before heading to Saint-Etienne for three years. From 1982 until his retirement in 1987, Platini was a midfielder for Juventus, then went on to manage the French National Team.

Platini is the only player in Juventus history to win the Ballon d’Or Trophy as the world’s best player multiple times while a member of the club. Platini won the title for three consecutive years between 1983 and 1985. He also won Serie A twice in three years and took home the 1982-83 Coppa Italia trophy. While he didn’t have the longest tenure, it was certainly a great one.

Giampiero Boniperti

The late Giampiero Boniperti wore a lot of different hats throughout his life, which includes being a politician and an executive with Juventus. However, we want to focus on his efforts as a football player today. Boniperti was a striker who spent his entire playing career with Juventus, starting with the youth program during the end of World War II. From 1946 until 1961, he played with the senior squad and became a member of the Juventus front office after retiring.

Boniperti comes in at ninth all-time in matches played for Juventus, but he’s much farther up the list of goals scored. In his 459 matches, Boniperti was able to score 179 times, putting him second on the list behind our number-one player. Boniperti won the Serie A title five times and the Coppa Italia twice, becoming a member of the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

Gianluigi Buffon

The youngest player on the list is also the only goalkeeper on the list. Carrara native Gianluigi Buffon began his senior playing career in 1995 with Parma, spending six years with the club. He then made his way to Juventus where he spent 17 years in his first stint before a brief stay with Paris Saint-Germain and a return to Juventus from 2019 to 2021. His second departure would see Buffon reuniting with Parma.

There was a strange time in Juventus history when the club was relegated to Serie B in the mid-2000s, but Buffon made sure that the squad won the league in 2007. He also elevated Juventus to the top of Serie A an astonishing 10 times while also winning the Coppa Italia five times. Through many of his seasons, Buffon was named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year, winning the title 13 times.

Alessandro Del Piero

After Buffon, Alessandro Del Piero is the second-youngest player on the list, but the top player overall. Born in Conegliano in 1974, Del Piero was a member of Padova’s youth program and had 14 professional appearances in the early 1990s before joining Juventus in 1993. He spent just under two decades with the club before wrapping up his playing days with Sydney FC and Delhi Dynamos in Australia and India, respectively.

Del Piero holds many Juventus records, which include most appearances with 705 and most goals with 290. In the latter category, Del Piero finds himself more than 100 goals ahead of second-place Boniperti. Thanks to Del Piero’s help, Juventus was able to win Serie A a whopping six times throughout his career while he also won the league’s top player honours twice.

Since being founded in 1897, Juventus has been one of the premier football clubs in all of Italy. Juventus has won Serie A many times throughout its illustrious history, much of which is thanks to having some terrific managers. While not every manager has enjoyed success, some have been among the best in the world.

Today, we’ll take a look at the best managers in Juventus history, narrowing it down to the top five. Before we start the list, some of the managers who just missed the cut include Carlo Carcano, Renato Cesarini, Heriberto Herrera, and Dino Zoff.

Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte had a strong career as a player, spending well over a decade with Juventus during the 1990s and early 2000s. Conte retired in 2004 and went on to become a manager the next year. After several stops which included managing Atalanta and Siena, Conte made his way to Juventus where he led the club from 2011 to 2014 before departing and managing the Italian National Team.

Conte was a three-time Serie A champion with Juventus, and he also won the Supercoppa Italia twice. Overall, Carcano managed just over 150 matches, winning 102 of them, good enough for a 67.55% winning rate. Conte has since gone on to manage Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Tottenham Hotspur.

Carlo Parola

Turn native Carlo Parola was a fantastic defender for Juventus during his playing days which spanned from 1939 to 1954. He ended his playing career with seven matches on Lazio’s squad but would return home for the bulk of his managerial career. In 1959, Parola began his first stint as manager, and in 1961 he both left and returned. After leaving again in 1962, he then came back more than a decade later, ending his managerial career with Juventus from 1974 to 1976.

Parola managed just over 200 matches during his career, winning nearly 58 percent of those matches. Parola didn’t have the long list of trophies that some of the other managers did, but he did have a long and successful resume. The biggest accomplishment for Parola was winning the Serie A title three times.

Massimiliano Allegri

While many of the other managers on the list had a long playing career with one club, that wasn’t the case for Massimiliano Allegri from 1984 to 2003. He never had more than 64 matches played in one given stint, jumping from club to club. After his retirement, Allegri became the manager of Aglianese, and he worked his way to Cagliari and AC Milan before joining Juventus in 2014. He managed the club until 2019, but then returned in 2021.

Allegri is tied for second all-time in club history for Serie A championships with five, and he has 11 trophies in total. He has won the Coppa Italia more times than any other Juventus manager with four, while also adding two Supercoppa Italia wins. Allegri won nearly 70 percent of his matches overall, putting him at the top of the list for managers with at least 100 matches.

Marcello Lippi

Marcello Lippi began his playing career in the late 1960s and spent the bulk of his professional days with Sampdoria. He rounded out his playing days with Savona, Pistoiese, and Lucchese in the early 1980s before getting into management. Lippi managed a lot of squads during his career, including Atalanta, Napoli, and Internazionale. From 1994 to 1999 and 2001 to 2004, he managed Juventus with great success.

Lippi is one of just two managers to have at least 300 matches with Juventus under his belt, as well as over 400 matches. Lippi won just over 56 percent of his matches and is second in club history with 13 total trophies. Five of those were Serie A championships while another four came from the Supercoppa Italiana, giving him twice as many as any other Juventus manager.

Giovanni Trapattoni

Throughout the entirety of the 1960s, Giovanni Trapattoni spent his playing career with AC Milan, then rounded out his playing career in 1972 with Varese. He quickly became a manager when he took over Milan during the mid-1970s, and then made his way to Juventus in 1976 where his first stint would last for a decade. Trapattoni’s second stint came from 1991 to 1994.

Because of his two lengthy tenures as Juventus manager, no other man has managed as many matches, with nearly 600 in total. That’s almost 200 more than second-place Lippi. Trapattoni won 319 of those matches, and he also won more trophies than any other manager with 14. Among those trophies were six Series A titles, a club record for managers. 

You can achieve some great things as a club in football while still having plenty of misfires. Throughout Inter Milan history, there have been many great moments, but there have also been some pretty big errors. Let’s take a look at five of the worst signings in Inter history and how much they cost the team. Before we start the list, some of the “dishonorable” mentions include Jonathan, Nelson Rivas, Sulley Muntari, Gagibol, and Robbie Keane.

Vampeta

Born Marcos Andre Batista dos Santos in Brazil, many around the world knew him simply as Vampete, which was a portmanteau of vampiro (vampire) and capeta (devil). Vampeta began his professional career with Vitoria, then made his way to PSV Eindhoven where he was sent out on loan twice. The midfielder then played for Corinthians from 1998 to 2000 before Inter decided to spend millions to acquire him after a good reference from Ronaldo.

Vampeta seemed to simply not care while he was with Inter, making just eight appearances and scoring one goal over the course of six months. Vampeta even took a vacation to Brazil during the season, saying that he wanted to leave the club. Inter had to keep half of his rights in 2001 when the team sent him to Paris Saint-Germain, though the French club didn’t get much out of him either with just seven appearances.

Francesco Coco

A lot of people thought that left-backer Francesco Coco was the next big thing in Italian football after starting his career with AC Milan. He was part of the club from 1995 to 2002, and during that time he was also loaned out to Vicenza, Torino, and FC Barcelona. Inter Milan decided to take a chance on Coco’s potential after he turned 25 years old, making a €28 swap with AC Milan which also included Clarence Seedorf.

Coco was part of the Inter club for five years but was loaned out to both Livorno and Torino during that time. He appeared in just 26 matches for Inter, with much of his time being hampered by injuries. Coco even blamed the club for saying that he should undergo back surgery and derailing his career. He retired in 2007 at just 30 years old and actually pursued an acting career.

Vratislav Gresko

The Czech-born Vratislav Gresko is another left-back to make the list who didn’t live up to expectations. In 1995, he made his professional debut with Dukla Banska Bystrica, then made his way to Inter Bratislava where he played for two years. After a short sting with Bayer Leverkusen, Gresko signed with Inter for four years and a fee of nearly €5 million. Unfortunately, he would make just 41 appearances during that time.

Much of that was because his time with Inter was cut short as the team sent him to Parma. With Inter, Gresko had zero goals and his play was described as being erratic. Much of the blame came from the final match of the 2001-02 Serie A season when Gresko’s lack of defense caused the team to blow their shot at winning the title. 

Mancini

Known simply by his surname Mancini to most football fans, Alessandro Amantio was born in Brazil and made his professional debut in his home country back in 1999 (with Atletico Mineiro). Mancini enjoyed a terrific start to his career in South America, then made his way to Italy to join Venezia for a brief period in 2003. He then signed with Roma for five years where he had 154 appearances and 40 goals.

Mancini signed with Inter for €13 million in 2008, which is much more than you expect to give to someone that doesn’t appear on the top roster. Mancini made just 28 appearances throughout his stretch with Inter that lasted for three years, netting one goal in the process. After also fizzling out with crosstown rival AC Milan on loan, Mancini returned to South America for the rest of his career.

Ricardo Quaresma

The top spot on the list belongs to Ricardo Quaresma, a Portuguese player who started his career with Sporting in his native country. After an impressive start, he made the move to La Liga where he played for Barcelona between 2003 and 2004. He then headed back to Portugal to play for Porto, then joined Inter between 2008 and 2010. 

Quaresma’s fees tallied up to €18.6 and included Pele being sent to Porto. However, Quaresma appeared in just 24 league matches with Inter, scoring only one goal. Meanwhile, he had a brief run with Chelsea when it was sent out on loan before he signed with Besiktas in 2010, marking the end of an expensive and uneventful tenure with Inter.