Juventus: Ranking the 5 best center midfielders of all time

2. Pavel Nedved

Pavel Nedved remains a huge part of Juventus in an executive capacity, and Juventini would not have it any other way. The man with the flowing blonde locks had a distinctive, unforgettable look on the pitch, but his playing style and all-around excellence were even more unforgettable.

Ask Juventus fans who their favorite player of all time is, and you’ll get answers of Gianluigi Buffon, rugged center backs of the past and present, and all-time leading scorer Alessandro Del Piero. You’ll even get the occasional football romantic to mention Zinedine Zidane. But one of the most common names you’ll hear is that of the Czech legend himself.

Nedved was a real weapon for the Bianconeri. This is a guy who could bomb forward and start attacks, drift out wide and cross, win the ball back and find a teammate quickly, or score some of the most breathtaking rockets from outside the box that you’ve ever seen. His career highlight reel is one of the most underrated in the history of this sport, and it is a statement I do not make lightly.

Sometimes, I wonder if fans outside of the Juventus circle don’t quite appreciate Nedved enough. We are talking about a former Ballon d’Or winner after all. And we are talking about a man who won two Scudetti, two Supercoppa, and one Serie B title because he stuck around at Juve when this team was at its worst moment in history.

Nedved could have won more titles if he didn’t choose to stay with the Old Lady in that moment, but his love for the club was greater than any promise of trophies by being a mercenary. For him, that was not the way.

He could do anything on the pitch. Any position, any style of play, anything his manager asked of him, Nedved was game. His raw athleticism, technical quality with both feet, and never-say-die attitude made him a totally unique breed of footballer. There will never be another Pavel Nedved, and I am forever grateful that I can say I watched him play for a few years.