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2 months ago
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Dwindling the list down to just five midfielders to represent the Juventus of the 21st century is an almost impossible task. The club has featured so many legendary players through the years.
The club has a true legacy of excellence, and the players who captured the imagination, those who made the play tick, were often found in midfield. In the vintage teams of the past, these are the five we have sitting above the rest.
Andrea Pirlo
When he left AC Milan, many thought Andrea Pirlo was done. He was 32, nearing the end of his career, and what little he had in physical prowess was surely going to deteriorate very quickly.
So, he promptly signed for Juve and became a legend for the club. The definition of cool, he was probably born with nerves of steel, naturally possessing what many athletes need through intensive mental training. With Pirlo, the higher the stress, the bigger the occasion, the better.
His technique, of course, was sublime. Aesthetically, it looked so effortless, like a maestro from a bygone era, when the 10 dictated the play, always several steps ahead of his opposition.
He led the team to four Serie A titles. He was MOTM in the 2006 World Cup Final. He discarded the English with ease, with a panenka penalty, once again adding to their national trauma.
Zinedine Zidane
Zizou needs no introduction. He’s not just one of the best Juventus has ever featured, he’s one of the best ever, period. He had everything, the technique, the strength, the cold-bloodedness, and he oozed class with every touch of the football.
With Juventus, he won the Serie A title and was named best foreign player in his first season. Even with players like Del Piero, Henry, Deschamps, Tudor, Conte, Trezeguet, Davids, Zidane was head and shoulders above the rest, just sublime.
He left in 2001 for Real Madrid, thus technically only just eligible to make this list, but when you have the quality of Zizou, it’d be criminal to leave him off it.
Edgar Davids
He’s been briefly mentioned, but the Dutch midfielder certainly deserves his own entry. The OG pitbull, he was with Juventus for seven seasons, always fearless, going for every tackle, and dominating the midfield battle.
He wasn’t known for his technique, overshadowed by his combative playing style, but he had everything in his locker. He could do all of the tricks you see on the streets in Amsterdam, he was well-equipped to deal with the passing game (not a surprise, considering his Ajax education), and he had the intelligence to play within a role and do exactly what the game asked of him.
That’s what sets him aside from other players who have the same ‘take no prisoners’ approach. He was a lot more than that, and it’s something that the true Juventus fan will always appreciate of the Dutch terrier.
Pavel Nedvěd
He was the hipster’s favorite when he was with Lazio, an incredibly technical player who was the motor behind the club’s incredible period of success: the 1999 Cup Winners’ Cup, the 1999 Super Cup, the Seria title, the Coppa Italia.
When Juventus decided to spare no cost to buy him for 75 billion lire, many wondered whether the Czech midfielder would be able to live up to heavy expectations. After all, he was brought in to replace Zidane.
Fans should not have been worried. He was one of the best players in the Serie A for his entire Juventus career. For a couple of years, he was arguably the best player on the planet.
In December 2003, he reached his personal pinnacle, winning the World Footballer of the Year award. In the same month, he beat Thierry Henry and Paolo Maldini for the Ballon D’Or.
He’s a Juventus legend. Even with his departure as club director, he will never be forgotten by the Bianconeri fans.
Claudio Marchisio
We’ll round off this list with a player who perhaps does not get the recognition he deserves. He was a versatile player, a midfielder of many talents, but often a player overlooked by the casual fan. He did not win a Ballon d’Or, nor did he score the goals or give the beautiful assists.
Yet, for Juventus and the Italian national team, he was indispensable. Often underrated, yet he was one of the crucial parts of the club’s success during this period. He always gives 100%, is very clever in his positioning, allowing for the more creative players to excel.
The sad story of Marchisio was his injury record, especially in the latter part of his Juventus career. It is perhaps one of the reasons why he is so undervalued with some. Yet he was an elegant player, the modern midfield, combining the physicality and intelligence required to succeed in the modern game.

 
 
