Juventus can afford to spend big money on the world’s best players as one of the biggest clubs in Europe – but they’ve also developed a handy knack of signing brilliant free transfers.
Juve spent the best part of £110million on Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa alone in 2022, but they’re also poised to sign Paul Pogba on a free transfer from Manchester United – for a second time.
Pogba already features on a long list of players to have moved to the Turin club on a free, and we’ve compiled a full XI of the best ones, with everybody in their proper position.
GK: Gianluigi Buffon
Yes, it’s cheeky but indulge us for a moment.
Buffon was already a goalkeeping legend when he returned to Juventus – who’d paid €52 million in 2001 for his services – three years ago but he went about proving the decision wasn’t solely sentimental.
His second debut, a 2-1 win over Verona in September 2019, saw him equal Paolo Maldini’s Italian record of 902 club appearances and overtook his former international team-mate the following week.
The goalkeeper broke many more records over the following two years as Juventus won both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles. He left for Parma in the summer of 2021.
RB: Dani Alves
Another Brazilian, and honestly could it be anyone else?
Barcelona considered Alves surplus to requirements when they allowed him to leave on a free in 2016, a year before his contract was up.
And he made them look extremely stupid, playing 90 minutes as Juve destroyed Barça 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
He ended his one season in Turin with a league and cup double, plus an appearance in a European final, before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain.
Dani Alves with the 🚀 to secure Juve’s place in the Champions League final #Juventus #ChampionsLeague #FinoAllaFine pic.twitter.com/aLzhcKo6Xv
— Fanatics View (@fanaticsview) May 9, 2017
CB: Fabio Cannavaro
Not the centre-back’s first, more impressive spell – that would have been too good to be true – but his return from Real Madrid.
The 2006 World Cup winner wasn’t quite as impressive in his second stint, sticking around for just one season, and his final European game for the club saw him dismissed just half an hour into a momentous Europa League defeat at Fulham.
Still, he gets in ahead of another big-name veteran, Lúcio, who barely made an impact after joining in 2012.
CB: Olof Mellberg
When Mellberg left Aston Villa in 2008, he was always…
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