Juventus: Ranking the 5 best trequartisti of all time
Coming from the phrase “three quarters”, a trequartista (the singular form of “trequartisti”) belongs to the genre of players that are supposed to play in the space between the conventional lines of midfield and the forwards. It is a position that has helped the game to develop and evolve over the decades.
Even though players filling in the position don’t always have enormous defensive burdens over their shoulders, the position could be too demanding for some at times. A trequartista needs to be assertive on the ball, find the back of the nets or assists on a regular basis, always on the lookout for those line-breaking passes, and work tirelessly in search of doing so.
Juventus had a rich tradition when it comes to rearing the trequartisti. Some of the best football players, known for their contributions as a classic number 10, have donned the jersey of the Bianconeri. In our penultimate episode of the ongoing series (Juventus’ top five players of all time in each position), Kevin Parvizi, James Cormack, and this writer have launched their votes, and here is what we have come up with after totaling the numbers.
5. Omar Sivori
Playing in a Bianconeri team with a rich pedigree of winning accolades during the mid-1900s, Omar Sivori is the oldest name on our list today. Born in Argentina, Sivori joined Juventus from River Plate in 1957 and then began his journey from an ordinary lad to one of the greatest to have even donned the colours of La Vecchia Signora.
For Juventus, Sivori became the fastest man to score 100 goals. He took 124 matches to accomplish a record still unbroken. Cristiano Ronaldo, Juve’s modern talisman, was close to making the record his own. But even the Portuguese’s charm and thirst for goals came short this time.
A trequartista, Sivori was a prominent goalscorer on one hand and a good team player on the other, always looking for that though pass with an intention to unlock an opposing defence. He scored 165 goals from 254 matches (per Transfermarkt) while playing for Juventus, getting to lift three Scudetto, one Capocannoniere, and various other cup tournaments. He won the Ballon d’Or in 1961, which remarks how good he was as a footballer.
A real gem in Omar Sivori received his last breath in February 2005. Although his bodily presence is now long gone, Sivori did enough during his playing days to be eternally alive in the minds of every football lover.