With Cristiano Ronaldo having completed his transfer to Turin from Real Madrid, Goal looks back at the most memorable deals in the Old Lady's history
Getty Images1Roberto Baggio | From Fiorentina | €9.3m | 1990
There were riots on the streets of Florence when Fiorentina fans learned that their beloved Roberto Baggio was to be sold to bitter rivals Juventus. The outrage was somewhat understandable, given that the No.10 was one of most the extravagantly gifted players Italy had ever produced.
However, the Viola decided to deal after Juventus offered a world-record fee for an iconic figure who would come to be known as 'Il Divino Codino' ('The Divine Ponytail') due to his famous hairstyle and silky skills.
Baggio fell out with coaches Giovanni Trapattoni and Marcello Lippi, and never hid his enduring love for Fiorentina ("Deep in my heart, I will always be Viola") but he proved himself a worthy heir to Michel Platini, with 78 goals in just 141 Serie A games. He won the Scudetto, Coppa Italia, and almost single-handedly took Juventus to Uefa Cup glory in 1993 which saw him win the Ballon d'Or.
AdvertisementGetty Images2Gianluigi Buffon | From Parma | €52m | 2001
At the time, €52m looked like a colossal fee for Gianluigi Buffon. Now, it is regarded as a bargain. Indeed, that the Juventus and Italy captain remains the most expensive goalkeeper in history – 16 years after his arrival from Parma – underlines just why he is rightly regarded as the greatest No.1 of all time.
Only Dino Zoff can claim to have enjoyed such a sustained period of excellence at the highest level and Buffon is even in a position to match his compatriot's remarkable feat of winning the World Cup at the age of 40, in Russia next year.
Buffon's legendary status is already secured, though, not least because he refused to join the post-Calciopoli exodus at Juventus following the club's demotion to Serie B in 2006, explaining, "In football, we talk a lot. But I firmly believe in certain moments you need to replace words with deeds."
Getty3Antonio Cabrini | From Atalanta | €0.36m | 1976
Antonio Cabrini had already played in both Serie C and Serie B, with Cremonese and Atalanta, respectively, by the time he joined Juventus in the summer of 1976 as an 18-year-old.
He had to wait until February of the following year to make his Serie A debut but he would quickly make the left-back berth his own – for the next decade.
Indeed, Cabrini was as talented as he was handsome – he was known as 'Bell'Antonio' ('Beautiful Antonio') and 'Findanzato d'Italia' ('Italy's Boyfriend') because of his good looks – and, alongside Dino Zoff, Gaetano Scirea and Claudio Gentile, he became a key cog in one of the greatest backlines the Italian game has ever seen, the foundation on which Juve's domestic dominance and Italy's 1982 World Cup triumph were built.
Getty Images4John Charles | From Leeds | €74k | 1957
Quite simply, John Charles is the greatest British player ever to play overseas. He was more than a great footballer, he was an ambassador, a paragon of virtue who retains a mythical status within the Italian game.
The Welshman arrived in Turin during a lean spell for Juventus but he formed a legendary attacking triumvirate with Omar Sivori and Giampiero Boniperti ('il Trio Magico') that fired the Old Lady to three Serie A titles in four seasons.
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Injuries eventually took their toll on Charles but nothing would dim the legendary status of 'Il Buon Gigante' ('The Gentle Giant'), who was never even booked during his time in Italy.
When he passed away in 2004, both Juventus and his other former Italian side, Roma, held a minute's silence in his honour.
