'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 Zinedine Zidane (France) | 1996 - 2001
Zinedine Zidane played at Juventus for just five seasons, but he is still hailed as one of the greatest players in the club's history. The Frenchman arrived at the club in 1996 from Ligue 1 outfit Bordeaux and became a superstar in Turin. He attracted attention with a series of eye-catching performances in midfield.
Zidane was known for his vision, ball control, technical ability and talent. Many hail him as one of the most technically gifted players to have ever graces the Italian top flight.
Printed on the wall inside Juventus’ museum, there is a quote Enzo Bearzot used to describe the mercuria Frenchman:
"He handled the ball with absolute grace. It is beautiful to watch his passes, to see how he does everything on the field. Because of the unpredictability of his movements, he reminds me of the flight of a butterfly."
Zidane made 212 appearances for Juventus, scoring 31 goals and providing 38 assists. He won two Serie A titles and several other honours with the club, while also picking up the Ballon d'Or award in 1998.
He later moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2001 for a world-record fee at the time. There he further cemented his status as one of the game's all-time greats.
#2 Michel Platini (France) | 1982 - 1987
In the history of the game, not too many players have made a bigger impact in a five-year spell at any club like Michel Platini did at Juventus. He had an incredible stint at the club, winning numerous major honours, both domestically and in Europe. He also won three Ballon d'Or awards during his time at the club.
Platini’s playing style was virtually unseen from a French player before. His forte were his precise understanding and handling of the ball, which allowed him to make amazing passes or attempt audacious shots in open play and dead-ball situations. His ability was such that Bobby Charlton once remarked,
"What a playmaker. He could thread the ball through the eye of a needle as well as finish."
The 1982 FIFA World Cup would become the Frenchman’s tournament, where he made his nation stand up and realise what a fabulous player he was. He also shone at Euro' 84, scoring a record nine goals in France's triumphant campaign. Platini was the top scorer in Euro history before he was recently overtaken by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Platini won the Serie A title with Juventus in 1984 and 1986, the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1984, the 1984 European Super Cup, the European Cup in 1985, and the 1985 Intercontinental Cup. He was the top scorer in Serie A for three consecutive seasons (1982-83, 1983-84 and 1984-85).
Platini, who retired at Juventus aged 32, is fondly remembered by fans across the world as one of the best to have ever played the game.
#1 John Charles (Wales) | 1957 - 1962
John Charles lifted the spirit of Juventini with his flamboyant aura back in the mid-1900s. He partnered with the likes of Giampiero Boniperti and Omar Sívori at the heart of Juventus’ offence. John Charles became an integral part of a lethal attacking trio known as 'Il Santo Tridente' (the Holy Trident).
Charles joined Juventus from Leeds United in 1957 for a then-British record transfer fee of around £65,000. He stayed at the club for five years before rejoining Leeds. During those five years, he was successful in turning himself from a foreigner who wished to play in the Italian league to someone who would go on to become one of the greatest foreign imports in the country.
In those five years, not only did he score 105 goals in 179 matches, Charles also helped Juventus win three Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia. He won the Capocannoniere award in the 1957-58 campaign.
Charles was the third-best player in the 1959 Ballon d’Or race. After leaving Juventus, he played for several other clubs, including AS Roma and Cardiff City, but failed to reach the same heights he scaled at Juventus.
Charles was named the Bianconeri's best foreign player during their centenary celebrations of 1997. His legendary status was later confirmed with his induction into the Italian Football Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2004 due to cancer-related complications.
