'%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)
7. Arturo Vidal (€12.5million)
It was the 2011-12 season when Juventus really began to build a ‘midfield Mafia’ in Turin and Arturo Vidal was the first to join hands. The enigmatic Chilean midfielder was signed from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen for a reported transfer fee of €12.5million.
Needless to say, there were a number of other clubs chasing after Vidal’s signature but Juventus won the race and were greatly rewarded later on.
Vidal went on to establish a great partnership with Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba at the heart of Juventus’ midfield. During his time, Vidal led Juventus to 7 major titles, including 4 back-to-back Serie A Championships.
Vidal played 162 times for Juventus, scoring 46 times. After spending 4 splendid seasons with Juventus, Arturo Vidal was sold to Bayern Munich for a reported transfer fee of €37.5million – A profit for €25million for Juventus.
6. Andrea Pirlo (Free Transfer)
If Arturo Vidal was the muscle in Juventus’ midfield at the start of this decade then Andrea Pirlo was indeed the brain. Juventus had signed the artful technician on a free transfer from their long-time rivals AC Milan at the start of 2011-12 season.
Pirlo’s move to Turin raised plenty of eyebrows as the Italian ace was in his prime but refused to renew his AC Milan contract despite spending 10 years at San Siro.
Mind you, Pirlo had just won the Serie A title in 2010-11 season and Juventus had finished 7th , 24 points behind AC Milan. It was a very bold move on Pirlo’s part which he had no regrets later on.
Pirlo teamed up with Antonio Conte and led Juventus to 4 back-to-back Serie A titles. Pirlo’s 4 years in Turin were a pleasure to watch for the fans as he really dictated the play sitting deep every time he was on the pitch.
Following his time at Juventus, Pirlo then joined New York City FC in the summer of 2015 and played 3 seasons with the MLS side. Pirlo announced his retirement from the professional football on January 1, 2018.
