Juventus’ All-Time Greatest XI
Forwards (By Kevin Parvizi)
AM – Alessandro Del Piero
Simply put, Alessandro Del Piero is the greatest player in Juventus’ history.
His goal-scoring record is unmatched, and he was also an excellent creator of goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates. He had eight seasons with at least 10 goals in Serie A, including five straight campaigns with double-digit goals, and an additional seven seasons with at least five assists since the stat was first tracked in 1998-1999.
A creative genius with the ball at his feet, Del Piero was clinical in front of goal and so, so hard to stop in tight spaces. Nobody has made more appearances or scored more goals than the two-time Serie A Player of the Year. But beyond the individual achievements, Del Piero means so much more to the fanbase as a humanitarian, leader, and serial winner.
A Champions League winner early in his career, Del Piero stayed with the team through thick and thin.
AM – Zinedine Zidane
Several candidates were fighting for this spot, such as Michel Platini and Roberto Baggio. But in the end, how can anyone deny the greatness of Zizou, the most graceful player to step onto a football pitch?
Zidane made everything look so effortless, and he is perhaps the most skilled player to have ever donned the Black and White kit. He was immediately one of the world’s best players when he stepped foot in Turin in 1996, winning Serie A and the league’s Foreign Footballer of the Year. Juventus was Zidane’s first big club after leaving France, and he ended up reaching a Champions League Final and winning his first Ballon d’Or.
But beyond the personal accolades on his rise to becoming a World Cup hero, Zizou meant so much more to Juventus in his few years with the Old Lady. Zidane’s magic inspired the fans and his skill-set brought the best out of his teammates. Zidane had 14 assists in Serie A by his last season with Juve. Zidane is one of the greatest players of all time, and his first steps to true greatness were in Turin. We will always remember him for that.
ST – Giampiero Boniperti
There have been many great strikers to play for Juventus over the years, such as John Charles. But there is nobody who made a more profound impact on this club than Giampiero Boniperti, one of the most influential Italian strikers of all-time.
Boniperti played for Juventus from 1946 to 1961, scoring 178 goals in 443 matches. He scored this many goals despite being a more well-rounded striker who was equally concerned with setting up chances for his contemporary goal-scorers, Omar Sivori and Charles.
A captain for Italy at the 1954 World Cup, Boniperti was also a leader and inspirational figure for his club for more than a decade. And his legacy on Juve can be seen in the style Alessandro Del Piero took on as a scorer and creative standout in the Bianconeri attack. In fact, it was Del Piero who broke Boniperti’s all-time scoring record with Juve.
By the time he retired, Boniperti won five Serie A titles. A true one-club man, Boniperti embodied what it means to be a Juventino from the time he was a youth player until he retired from football. For all the great strikers to have played for this club, including the elegant David Trezeguet recently, it would have been a severe error to overlook Boniperti.