Juventus: Ranking the 5 best center midfielders of all time

Juventus, Pavel Nedved (Photo by Luca Ghidoni/Getty Images)
Juventus, Pavel Nedved (Photo by Luca Ghidoni/Getty Images)
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Juventus, Edgar Davids
Juventus, Edgar Davids Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill/Allsport

4. Edgar Davids

One of the greatest midfielders of all time, Edgar Davids is the kind of player Juventus fans are proud to say competed on behalf of their beloved club. Davids was one of the hardest-working players on the pitch while donning the famous kit of the Old Lady.

The former Champions League winner at Ajax never won the big continental trophy while playing for the Bianconeri, but he did secure the Scudetto three times during his six seasons with Italy’s biggest club. He also claimed two Supercoppa to add to his trophy case.

Davids played the game with so much passion and was one of the most intelligent defenders of his era in midfield. Every other midfielder hated going up against him, because he was snap into tackles and take nothing for granted on the pitch. Yet despite his physical style of defending, Davids was elegant and graceful on the ball, orchestrating attacking moves for Juventus and certainly fitting the Serie A style of play in midfield in multiple ways.

Juventini love midfielders who can do both. There is nothing quite like watching someone be the engine of a team, yet still produce moments of individual magic on the ball.

Davids is very unlucky to have never won a Champions League title with the Old Lady, considering he reached two finals and a semifinal. He and Zinedine Zidane ruled the latter part of the 90’s, as Juve’s decision to purchase Davids from rivals Milan proved to be quite the brilliant business move.