Juventus: Ranking the five best centre-backs of all time

Dogged resolve and ineffable resilience have been entrenched in Juventus‘ DNA ever since the club’s 19th-century inception.

In a country revered for producing masters of the centre-back craft at a freakish and consummate canter, Turin’s factory may well be the most efficient and today we’ll be casting our minds over some of the stoutest to don the Bianconeri strip as part of our top-five series here at Old Juve.

So far, we’ve already assessed the goalkeeper and full-back positions.

The rankings are based on a tally of votes. The Old Juve team – Kevin Parvizi, Jyotirmoy Halder, and yours truly – voted on the top five players at each position, with the first-place vote earning five points and the fifth getting one. We then counted up the points and ranked an overall top five.

Some of the stalwarts left off this list, by the way.

5. Sandro Salvadore

Kicking off this illustrious top-five is Sandro Salvadore. A Bianconeri hero from yesteryear.

Salvadore is a name that modern-day Juventini may not be familiar with, but he was a key part of the club’s success during the sixties and early seventies. He was an elegant defender and a versatile libero recognised for his impressive leadership capacity. Salvadore skippered both Juventus and Italy during his 16-year senior career.

A protagonist during Heriberto Herrera’s five-year reign, the silky sweeper notched over 400 Serie A appearances, claiming four Scudetti – two with Juve – and a Coppa Italia crown in 1965.

On the international stage, Salvadore endured the lows of 1966 and the North Korean humiliation as well as the lofty highs of 1968 – Italy’s sole European Championship triumph.