Juventus: Who has been the most underrated player so far in 2020-21?

Now that we are in the March international break, we can take a little step back and talk more about Juventus‘ season so far and where the Bianconeri stand. And one of the favorite topics has to be who is overlooked. Juve haven’t had a great 2020-2021 campaign thus far, and that’s actually given fans outside of Turin even more reason to overlook some players on the team.

When it comes to ascertaining the most underrated player on Juventus, there are three candidates. Wojciech Szczesny is the best goalkeeper in Serie A, yet he still doesn’t get the credit he deserves as one of Europe’s elite goalkeepers. Juan Cuadrado is one of the best right backs in the business and has 12 assists this season, yet there are even Juventini who do not fully credit the 32-year-old’s importance.

But for me, the most underrated player on Juve right now is another defender. Danilo. The experienced right back has done a little bit of everything for Juve this season. It is not a stretch to say that, despite all the years he’s played for teams like Real Madrid and Manchester City before the Bianconeri, he is playing the absolute best football of his career.

The pleasant surprise of a largely sour 2020-2021 season for the Old Lady, Danilo is posting some jaw-dropping defensive numbers to go with a goal and three assists in Serie A. According to WhoScored.com, the Brazilian international is averaging 1.8 tackles per game and 2.3 interceptions per game in the league. In the Champions League, the former Porto man had an average of 2.6 tackles per game and 2.9 interceptions per game. Simply staggering.

Danilo should not be dragged down by comparisons to Joao Cancelo

But all anyone can talk about, even within the Juventus fanbase sadly, is Joao Cancelo and how much the Bianconeri have missed out. Most fans, though, know that it’s overly simplistic to compare the two. Despite the fact that Juve got 30 million euros in the deal, all some football fans can do is fixate on Cancelo’s attacking exploits. Nevermind the fact that Danilo is a superior defender, can play more positions, and is probably the better fit for the Bianconeri.

The reality is that both teams benefited from the swap, even if we can acknowledge that, yes, Cancelo is the better overall player. As far as I’m concerned, Juve should not regret the move, because Danilo has been almost as much of a “breakout” this season. It’s just that fans tend to ignore defensive contributions, because, you know, that would actually require watching matches and knowing what the heck you are talking about.

Anyway, Danilo is having an amazing year. No player, with the possible exception of newcomers Weston McKennie and Federico Chiesa – or “newcomer” Alvaro Morata, have benefited more from playing under Andrea Pirlo. Danilo has excelled as a center back, performed well at fullback, and even shined in the middle of the park.

A versatile, jack-of-all-trades player with great football intelligence, defensive qualities, work ethic, and even a little bit of attacking know-how, Danilo is massively underrated by many football fans around the world right now. Hopefully, Juventini recognize what the 29-year-old is doing in 2020-2021 and the late bloom he’s having under Pirlo.