Juventus XI who played for their rivals

Juventus v Hellas Verona FC - Serie A
Juventus have made winning a habit which has proved to be too strong to break for any team in Itlay.

Juventus are right now in the 7th heaven having won their 7th straight Serie A and by doing so they have managed to become the first in Europe to do so and step up a precedent not managed by anyone. Not only this they also become the first team to win consecutive win 4 consecutive domestic doubles as they defeated AC Milan in the Copa Italia final.

Their foundation for their success was laid down by their former captain and player Antonio Conte who helped the Turin giants win their first Serie A of this unprecedented seven. The Chelsea manager won 2 more Serie A with the club and laid down a winning foundation with Juventus.

This winning mentality has been taken to new heights by master tactician Massimiliano Allegri. But a large part of this success also goes to how the transfers have been handled by the Juventus Board consisting of Andrea Agnelli, Pavel Nedved and Guiseppe Marotta.

Under their management, the Old Lady has become an expert in signing free agents namely Pirlo, Alves, Khedira and most probably Can will follow soon. They have not been shy of spending money when needed.

Many of the players they have signed have played for their rivals and this has been crucial for Juventus success and here a team of players who have played for their rivals since the turn of the century.


Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczęsny (Roma)

Barcelona v Roma - UEFA Champions League - Group E - Camp Nou
In 2016-17 Szczesny kept most clean sheets in Serie A for Roma.

The former Arsenal goalkeeper made the switch to the Allianz Stadium last summer for a fee of €12.2 million. He also had previous experience of the Serie A with AS Roma. The Polish international spent 2 seasons on loan at Roma.

In 2015 the signing of Peter Cech from Chelsea meant that his opportunities at the Emirates were further limited. In his first season at the club, he helped the Giallorossi finish 3rd in Serie A. The next season Arsenal again agreed to loan him to Roma and he had the most clean sheets in Serie A that season as they finished 2nd with 87 points.

This season he has been mainly an understudy to the legendary Gianluigi Buffon, but when given chances he has been impressive and it is likely that he will be a regular for Juventus next season.

His performances in December were very impressive as he was named the club's player of the month. This season he won the Coppa Italia and the Serie A with Juventus.

Right Back: Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lazio)

Lazio's Swiss defender Stephan Lichtstei
Stephan Lichtsteiner experience has come in handy for Juventus.

The Swiss international joined Juventus from Lazio in the summer of 2011. Since his arrival, he has won 7 Serie A, 4 Coppa Italia. He has been one of the most consistent players for Juventus whenever called upon, but he will leave the Turin giants in the summer.nd 4 Super Copa

During his time with Lazio, he was one of the most attacking full-backs in the Serie A and he scored his first goal for Lazio against cross-town rivals Lazio in a 3-1 win. He won the Copa Italia with the Biancocelesti as well as the Super Copa Italia scoring in the shootout against Sampdoria.

He has been mainly used as a squad player this season due to the signing of Mattia De Sciglio. But his experience has come in handy to Juventus in Champions League as he came off the bench against Tottenham to help set up Higuain's first and Mario Mandžukić second against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

He recently played his last game for Juventus against Verona and he was given a penalty in his final game which he missed, though the Juventus fans are still happy for him and his year's of service to the club definitely makes up for it.


Left Back: Mattia De Sciglio (AC Milan)

AC Milan v SS Lazio - Serie A
De Sciglio is yet to reach his peak at the age of 25.

The Italian international bust on the scene at the San Siro when Massimiliano Allegri was in charge of AC Milan. The full-back though mainly plays on the right, but he very much capable of playing as a left back as well.

With Milan, he won one Serie A title and two Italian Super Cups. He left AC Milan in the summer of 2017 to join Juventus in a £12 million deal. In his first season with the club, he won his second Serie A title and first with Juve and the Copa Italia.

He made 133 appearances for the Rossoneri and was seen as the future for the Milan giants. But he refused a contract extension with the club and he only had a year left on his contract, so the Milan giants decided to sell him.

At the age of 25, De Sciglio is yet to reach his peak and under Massimiliano Allegri, he is likely to improve and the Juventus have a proper Italian defender who is likely to hold that right back position for Juve for a long time to come.

Centre Back: Leonardo Bonucci ( Inter Milan)

Juvenetus v Real Madrid<p>UEFA Champions League Final</p><p>3/6/2017
Bonucci was a crucial part of the trophies he won for Juventus.

The current AC Milan captain started his career as a youngster for Inter Milan. But he only managed to make just one appearance for the Nerazzurri. He was signed by Juventus from Bari and he went on to win 6 Serie A, 3 Coppa Italia and 3 Italian Super Cups with the Old Lady.

He formed an impressive partnership at the back with fellow Italian compatriot Giorgio Chiellini for the Turin giants. Though his exit from the Allianz Stadium leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of many, but still he was a crucial part of the trophies he won for Juventus.

During his time with Turin giants, he established himself as one of the best defenders in the world. He was known for his tough tackling and no-nonsense defending skills. He also won many individual awards such as FIFA Pro World XI 2016 and 2017, EA Sports FIFA Team of the year 2017 and UEFA team of the year 2016.

He made more than 200 appearances for the Bianconeri scoring 13 goals and he made two Champions League Final appearances as well.


Centre Back: Medhi Benatia (AS Roma)

Bologna FC v AS Roma - Serie A
Benatia has earned the reputation of being one of the best defenders in the Itlay.

The Moroccan international joined Juventus from Bayern Munich after initially signing for them on loan and he made his move permanent last summer. But this was not his first spell in Itlay as he has played for Udinese and AS Roma before playing for Juventus in the Serie A.

He joined Bayern Munich from AS Roma and in 2017 Juventus signed him. He has been impressive this season from the Turin giants. He has won 2 Serie A titles and 2 Coppa Italia's.

This season he has been a crucial figure for Juventus at the back and he has been effective in filling in the void left by the departure of Leonardo Bonucci. The former Bayern defender is strong, tall, athletic and has good technique. All these attributes have helped him earn a reputation for being one of the best defenders in Serie A.

He also scored twice against AC Milan in the Copa Italia final and he also came back to haunt his former club AS Roma in the Serie A, when he scored the only goal against them at the Allianz Stadium.

Central Midfielder: Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)

Soccer - Italian Serie A - AC Milan v Reggina
Soccer - Italian Serie A - AC Milan v Reggina

The Italian legend is considered to be one of the best midfielders of his generation and he earned a lot of name during his time with AC Milan. The Italian is one rare specimen of midfielders who play the role playmaker from the deep and he was known for his ridiculous long range passes.

In 2011 AC Milan made one of the biggest transfer blunders in their history as they thought that Pirlo is not at his best anymore and allowed him to leave for a free transfer and Juventus snapped him up.

The 2006 World Cup winner used his experience and helped Juventus to dominate Serie A for four consecutive seasons and the Old Lady built upon it and are now enjoying the fruits of it by winning their seventh consecutive Serie A.

Pirlo arrival at Juventus helped the Bianconeri to establish the base upon which they would rule Itlay and it only meant one thing that is crumbling of AC Milan.


Central Midfielder: Miralem Pjanic (AS Roma)

AS Roma's midfielder of Bosnia-Erzegovin
Pjanic is the perfect replacement for Andrea Pirlo at Juventus.

Pjanic joined Juventus from AS Roma in the summer of 2016 after they signed him for £32 million. Thus they ended his five-year stay in Rome. His first stint in Serie A was with Roma who signed him from Lyon. He made more than 150 appearances for the Giallorossi.

The Bosnian is very well on his way to emulate the legendary Italian midfielder Andre Pirlo for the Old Lady and many of his performances have convinced Juve that they have found a perfect deep playmaking midfielder who is a perfect replacement for Andre Pirlo.

He has already won domestic doubles in his two seasons with the Turin giants and narrowly missed out on winning the treble in his first season when Juve lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Cardiff in 2017.

At the age of 28 the former Lyon playmaker is set to reach his peak and it is likely that he will lead Juventus to further glory and the Roma can do nothing but watch.

Right Attacking Midfielder: Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina).

ACF Fiorentina v Torino FC - Serie A
Federico Bernardeschi move to Juve was compared with the move of Roberto Baggio to Juve.

Federico Bernardeschi joined Juventus last season from Fiorentina last season for a fee of €40 million. He joined the side to bring in more attacking enforcements from the wings. He made 31 appearances for the Old Lady scoring 5 goals and further providing 7 assists.

In his first season with the club, he won the domestic double as Juventus lifted their seventh consecutive Serie A title and a Coppa Italia.

Bernardeschi is one of the top talents in Itlay and he is a product of Fiorentina youth academy and when he moved to Juventus there were many who compared his to Juve with that of Italian legend Roberto Baggio. But he was quick to brush aside such comparisons.

At the age of 24, it seems like the Bianconeri have made a very wise move as he is likely to provide a lot of stability on the wings for Juventus for a long-term.


Left Attacking Midfielder: Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina).

Torino FC v ACF Fiorentina - Serie A
Cuadrado's experience with Fiorentina helped him settle easily at Juventus.

The Colombian made a name for himself in the Serie A with Fiorentina. He was then sold to Chelsea for a fee of £23.3 million. He made only 13 appearances for the London based club and at the start of the next season, he was loaned to Juventus. He remained on loan at the Allianz Arena for two years, before he was signed by the Old Lady permanently.

He has won three consecutive Serie A with the club and he has been a crucial part of all three of them. His pace is his biggest asset and his trickery helps him go past defenders. The former Udinese winger is very versatile as well he can also play as a right wing-back and he has also played as a right back when needed.

He has made 114 appearances for the Turin giants scoring 13 goals and further providing 28 assists as well. His previous experience in Itlay with Fiorentina has definitely helped his current club Juventus as seem to have flourished in Serie A but he struggled really badly in England with Chelsea.

Cuadrado has scored some crucial goals for the Old Lady and he recently scored in the 87th minute against Inter to tilt the Scudetto 2018 towards the Allianz Stadium.

Attacking Midfielder: Pavel Nedved (SSC Lazio)

Soccer - UEFA Champions League - Group D - Chelsea v Lazio
Nedved has been a very influential figure for Juve on and off the pitch.

The Juventus legend and 2003 Ballon D Or winner was signed by Juventus from their rivals Lazio in 2001 for a fee of £34 million. The main reason as to why he was signed was to replace Zinedine Zidane who joined Real Madrid.

He won 3 Serie A and 2 Italian Super Cups with the club and alongside Gigi Buffon, he remained loyal to the Old Lady despite their relegation to Serie B. He made more than 300 appearances for the club scoring 65 goals and providing 35 assists.

Not only as a player he has been crucial to Juventus success as a member of the board of directors as well. He is currently the Vice President of the Juventus Board of Directors and he has been very influential in the club's appointment of managers and the transfer signings as well.

He was nominated as a Board of Director in 2010 and we can clearly see the changes he has brought to the club under his management as soon after one year of his appointment Juventus began to dominate the Serie A and they still continue to do so.


Striker: Gonzalo Higuaín (SSC Napoli)

AC Chievo Verona v SSC Napoli - Serie A
Higuain

The Pipita or more popularly known as Gonzalo Higuain joined Juventus for a record fee of £90 million. He was signed by Juventus from arch-rivals Napoli and during his time in Itlay he has cemented his place as one of the best strikers in the world.

His style of play is more of a hardworking striker who drops deep to link up the play with his teammates. He initially had a reputation of not scoring in big games but with his time at the Allianz Stadium, he has successfully managed to banish that. This season he has scored the winner against teams like Napoli, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

His move helped the Old Lady to make a statement in the Italian football, that they are not only dominant on the pitch but in the transfer market as well. That is they can sign the best player of any club in Itlay even if the club is their big rival.

His move to Juve is the most money paid by an Italian club for a player. He has made more than 100 appearances for the Turin giants scoring 55 goals in two seasons with the club.

Quick Links

Edited by Zeeshan Ali