Top 5 big money flops in Juventus history

Juventus fans have had to endure their fair share of flops over the years
Juventus fans have had to endure their fair share of flops over the years

#3 Amauri

Juventus v Real Madrid - UEFA Champions League
Juventus v Real Madrid - UEFA Champions League

The Brazilian was signed from Palermo by then Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri in 2008 for a pricy €22.8 million.

Amauri’s debut season, which saw him net 14 goals in 44 appearances, was fairly good but it all went downhill from there. The striker came under heavy criticism from fans for his return of just six goals in 30 games.

The goal drought continued in 2010 despite a promising start in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League, which saw the Brazilian net a brace against Shamrock Rovers.

After spending a lot of time on the bench under new manager Luigi Delneri, Amauri joined Parama on loan until 30 June 2011. It marked a renaissance for the striker, who went on to score 7 goals in 11 appearances.

The striker returned to the Old Lady at the end of the season. After a long transfer saga, he was finally offloaded by manager Antonio Conte to Fiorentina for a fee of €500,000.

#2 Felipe Melo

Juventus FC v AS Roma - Tim Cup
Juventus FC v AS Roma - Tim Cup

Juventus were convinced to sign Melo after his phenomenal performance in the 2009 Confederations Cup.

They promptly paid his €25 million release clause to Fiorentina, in a deal which saw Marco Marchionni go the other way.

Despite a promising start, the Brazilian's form soon took a massive dip.

He was so bad throughout the 2009-10 campaign that he picked up the Bidone d’Oro Award in 2009, a satirical prize given to the Serie A’s worst player of the season.

After it became clear that he wasn’t going to be a part of Antonio Conte’s plans, Melo was shipped off to Turkish side Galatasaray. He experienced a resurgence in form and stayed on for four highly successful years.

Now a part of Palmeiras, the Brazilian is enjoying a patch of form that the Juventus faithful wished he’d displayed at the Turin club.

#1 Thierry Henry

Thiery Henry of Juventus
Thiery Henry of Juventus

Undoubtedly one of the Premier League’s greatest ever players, it’s hard to believe that Henry flopped colossally during his time at Juventus.

Signed from Monaco for a large fee of £10.5 million in 1999, Henry arrived in Turin with a sterling reputation. He was the 1996 French Young Footballer of the Year award and had the distinction of being France’s top scorer in the 1998 World Cup which his country went on to win.

However, in less than six months Henry went from world champion and promising hotshot to one of football’s most inconsistent wingers.

Having failed to convince Juventus manager Carlo Ancelotti of his talents, Henry was shipped off just six months into his Juventus stint to Premier League side Arsenal, reuniting him with his Monaco manager/mentor Arsene Wenger.

Familiar with his potential, Wenger converted Henry from a winger into a striker and the rest, as they say, is history.

Quick Links