5 Best Players In Juventus History

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.