LEGEND OR NOT?

Legend Or Not? Juventus has a rich history of success that has come through exceptional ownership, capable management, and world-class players. Many players have come and left Juventus over the years and today, we are trying to decipher which players can be classified as legends for the club, or not. We will not be including every single ‘obvious’ legend. Obvious Legends, Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Pavel Nedved, Claudio Marchisio, Zinedine Zidane, Leonardo Bonucci.

The players listed will have 3 accolades listed ‘proving’ or ‘disproving’ their potential legendary status along with counting stats.

The '80s

Zbigniew Boniek (MID) 1982-1985

Apps 133 Goals 31

1. 1985 Champions League (European Cup)

2. 1984 Serie A

3. 1984 European Cup Winners Cup match winning goal

Legend? On paper and on-pitch performances, the three seasons say he should be classified a legend. However, off the pitch, he has been a nightmare after countless remarks about Juve’s involvement in Calciopoli. Not a legend.

Michel Platini (MID) 1982-1987

Apps 222 Goals 103

1. 1985 Champions League (European Cup)

2. 3 Ballon D’ors 1983-1985

3. 3 Capocannoniere 1983-1985

Legend? Obviously Yes, lol. The team success and individual success speak for themselves.

Michael Laudrup MID 1985-1989

Apps 152 Goals 36

1. 1986 Serie A

2. 1985 Continental Cup

3. Scored in the 1985 Continental Cup

Legend? With Juve, I would say no. Counting stats and on-pitch performance were not always on par with what he produced at other clubs and his national team.

Paolo Rossi (ST) 1973-1975/1981-1985

Apps 138 Goals 44

1. 1982, 1984 Serie A

2. 1985 Champions League (European Cup)

3. 1982 Ballon D’or

Legend? Although the goal tally wasn’t that impressive with Juventus, he did help deliver a First ever champions league and while a part of Juventus, led Italy to 1982 glory. I say, yes.

The '90s

Roberto Baggio ST 1990-1995

Apps 200 Goals 115 Assists 17

1. 1995 Serie A

2. 1993 UEFA Cup

3. 1993 Ballon D’or/FIFA World Player of the Year

Legend? Not much team success came with Baggio on Juventus. His ability and talent are undeniable. He was quality on the pitch and was the best player in the world at one point. Absolute legend.

Didier Deschamps (DEF MID) 1994-1999

Apps 173 Goals 4 Assists 2

1. 1995, 1997, 1998 Serie A

2. 1996 Champions League Winner, 1997, 1998 Champions League Runner Up

3. Came back to coach us to a 2007 Serie B title

Legend? Absolutely. He was a lynchpin to Juventus’ world-class midfield during the mid to late ’90s. He also returned to manage the squad back to Serie A after Calciopoli.

Fabrizio Ravanelli (ST) 1992-1996

Apps 159 Goals 69 Assists 6

1. 1996 Champions League

2. 1995 Serie A

3. Scored in the 1996 Champions League Final and in the 1993 UEFA Cup

Legend? Forming an amazing strike partnership with Del Piero and Vialli among others, Ravanelli scored his fair share of goals. He scored some clutch goals in Juve’s history and averaged almost 0.5 a goal contribution per game. I would call him an almost legend. I wish he stayed a bit longer to cement his place.

Angelo Peruzzi (GK) 1991-1999

Apps 301

1. 1995, 1997, 1998 Serie A

2. 1996 Champions League

3. 1997, 1998 Serie A Goalkeeper of the year

Legend? Longevity, yes. Team Success, yes. Individual success, yes. Pretty obvious Juventus legend to me.

The '00s

David Trezeguet (ST) 2000-2010

Apps 320 Goals 171 Assists 25

1. 2002, 2003 Serie A

2. 2002 Serie A top scorer, foreign footballer of the year, and footballer of the year

3. One of the ‘Super 6’ to stay with Juve in Serie B

Legend? Averaged 17 goals per season. Excelled in strong teams. He was extremely talented and played as an excellent ‘Robin’ to Del Piero’s ‘Batman’. Not quite a legend, but a very good Juventus player.

Mauro German Camoranesi (RM) 2002-2010

Apps 288 Goals 32 Assists 48

1. 2003 Serie A

2. One of the ‘Super 6’ to stay with Juve in Serie B

3. 2003 Champions League Runner Up

Legend? He was an elegant footballer on the right side of the pitch and has longevity as a Juve player. However, I don’t see him as a Juve legend.

Antonio Conte (MID) 1991-2004 (included due to departure date)

Apps 420 Goals 44 Assists 6

1. 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003 Serie A

2. 1996 Champions League

3. 2011-2014 Managed Juventus to 3 straight Serie A titles and brought Juventus back to domestic dominance

Legend? As a player absolutely. However, the way he left (always leaves his clubs, while coaching) is petty and immature. He also took on the Inter job and flashed inappropriate hand gestures at his former employers which were disappointing. In total, no, his legendary status is revoked.

Edgar Davids DEF (MID) 1997-2004

Apps 235 Goals 10 Assists 11

1. 1998, 2002, 2003 Serie A

2. 2003 Champions League Runner Up - incredible European campaign

3. 2002, 2003 SuperCoppa Italiana

Legend? He is on the cusp for me. Team success is kind of there and his individual performance was immense but individual awards never came his way while at the club.

The '10s

Gonzalo Higuain ST 2016-2018, 2019-2020

Apps 149 Goals 66 Assists 16

1. 2017, 2018, 2020 Serie A

2. Juventus MVP 2017, 2018 - Serie A Team of the Season 2017.

3. Clutch Goal Scorer (2018 v Inter, 2017 v Tottenham, 2019 v Napoli)

Legend? Tough one. 3 seasons at the club, a lot of credentials were achieved. I think longevity is not there, just over 0.5 goal contribution per game. Pipita will go down as a very expensive luxury player that scored some big goals. Good player, not a Juve legend.

Juan Cuadrado (Right-Sided Player) 2015-Present

Apps 229 Goals 20 Assists 54 (counting stats are current and will continue to grow)

1. 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Serie A

2. 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021 Coppa Italia

3. 18 Assists in 2020-2021 season

Legend? As El Panita continues his Juventus career, his legend grows more and more. He has 10+ trophies and he has a good amount of goal contributions from a right-back/right-winger. Individual awards are the only thing that is lacking. I say if he does end up staying and signing his extension he becomes a Juve legend.

Paulo Dybala (ATT) 2015-Present

Apps 260 Goals 103 Assists 43

1. 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Serie A

2. 7 Coppa Italia/SuperCoppa

3. 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 Serie A Team of the Season - 2020 Serie A Player of the Season - 2017 Barcelona Game

Legend? Absolutely. 12 team trophies, countless individual awards and he’s about to sign an extension to even further his longevity as a Juve player. Modern loyalty.

Arturo Vidal (MID) 2011-2015

Apps 171 Goals 48 Assists 25

1. 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Serie A

2. Reliable Goalscoring Midfielder (10+ goals per season)

3. 2013, 2014 Serie A Team of the Season, 2013 Juventus Player of the Season

Legend? No. Had he’d stayed longer and not left for an ‘a better opportunity’ he would definitely be a legend. However, the way he left and discredited the club and then joined Inter later on in his career cancels out legendary status.

Just For Fun

Paul Pogba (CM) 2012-2016

Apps 178 Goals 34 Assists 40

1. 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 Serie A

2. 2014, 2015, 2016 Serie A Team of the Season

3. Was known for his long-range goals, AKA ‘Pogboom’

Legend? Again, another player left sour tastes in the mouths of the fans. Exceptional player on the pitch even if he was just on vacation in Torino. Not a Juve legend in my books.

Cristiano Ronaldo ATT 2018-2021

Apps 134 Goals 101 Assists 22

1. 2019, 2020 Serie A

2. 2019 Serie A Player of the Season

3. Hat-trick against Atletico - 101 goals in 134 games (almost 1 goal contribution a game)

Legend? The second-best player to kick a ball is not a Juventus legend. He accomplished phenomenal individual counting stats but the team's success took a turn. We are grateful he played for Juventus but I do not believe he has the longevity and team success to constitute him as a Juve legend.