Revealed: Cristiano Ronaldo missses out on Juventus team of the decade
Continuing our look at the team of the decades for some of Europe's biggest clubs, it's time to dip into Italy and assess defending Serie A champions Juventus.
As is the case with all of our team of the decades, players must have made at least 70 appearances for the club in question across Serie A and the Champions League since 2010.
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon (310 apps) - 6.77 rating
Gianluigi Buffon has enjoyed two stints at Juventus this decade, though his first was certainly the one to remember. Buffon is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all-time and has kept 149 clean sheets in 310 appearances in Serie A and the Champions League, conceding well below a goal-per-game in that time (0.71).
Right-back: Juan Cuadrado (146 apps / 15 goals) - 7.10 rating
Juan Cuadrado has spilit his time at Juventus between playing on the right wing or in a more defensive role, where he currently find himself in the team this season. Despite a failed stint in England, the Colombia international has proved a very capable player in Serie A for both Fiorentina and now Juventus. Cuadrado has been particularly effective at driving Juventus up the pitch, illustrated by 2.2 dribbles per 90 and 3.4 fouls won per 90. The 31-year-old has also returned a very handy 2.1 tackles per 90 minutes across 146 appearances for Juventus.
Centre-back: Leonardo Bonucci (334 apps / 20 goals) - 7.02 rating
Leonardo Bonucci is one part of this decade's most accomplished defensive combinations alongside Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini. Bonucci, like Buffon, has enjoyed two spells at Juventus this decade and returned to the club after a year away in 2017. Bonucci is renowned for his immense range of passing and it's why Pep Guardiola was keen to bring the Italian to Manchester City. In fact, only one outfielder averages more accurate long balls per game than Bonucci (6.2) for Juventus this decade. The 32-year-old has also weighed in with 20 goals across the two tournaments for the Old Lady.
Centre-back: Giorgio Chiellini (316 apps / 16 goals) - 7.36 rating
While Leonardo Bonucci brought finesse to Juventus' defence, his partner, Giorgio Chiellini certainly brought the steel. As well as scoring 16 goals in 316 appearances across the two tournaments this decade, Chiellini averages a hugely impressive 4.9 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes. The Italian, who is currently recovering from a serious knee injury, has also proved extremely durable on the ball, illustrated by a figure of just 0.3 times dipossessed per 90 minutes and 1.4 times fouled per 90.
Left-back: Alex Sandro (157 apps / 10 goals) - 7.30 rating
Alex Sandro has been a solid addition to Juventus already resolute defence since his arrival in the summer of 2015 and it's no surprise he has been heavily linked with big money moves to the Premier League in recent summers. The Brazil international averages 4.1 tackles and interceptions combined per 90 minutes across the two tournaments for Juventus and has proved a real threat down the left hand side with 1.7 successful dribbles per 90 and 1.6 key passes per 90.
Central midfield: Arturo Vidal (151 apps / 44 goals) - 7.54 rating
Arturo Vidal was part of a tremendously-balanced midfield during Antonio Conte's reign as Juventus manager and kickstarts the next phase of our team of the decade for the Serie A giants. The all-action midfielder played a direct hand in 66 goals in 151 appearances across the two tournaments and picked up the WhoScored Man of the Match award 29 times in that period. Moreover, the tenacious Chile international weighed in with 5 tackles per 90 minutes during his four years at the club.
Central midfield: Andrea Pirlo (144 apps / 17 goals) - 7.61 rating
Midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo is the Juventus player of the decade, according to our unique rating system. Despite only spending four years of the decade at Juventus, Pirlo has registered the most assists for the Old Lady across the two tournaments (35). He also weighed in with 17 goals fom his 144 appearances. Best known for his composure on the ball and efficient use of possession, it's unsurprising Pirlo ranks top of all Juventus players for key passes per game (2.7), accurate long balls per game (9.6) and accurate passes per game (65.4).
Central midfield: Paul Pogba (156 apps / 30 goals) - 7.56 rating
Paul Pogba spent four years at Juventus before making a blockbuster return to Manchester United and he developed into one of the best midfielders in the world during his time with the Old Lady. He finished his final campaign (2015/16) as the top WhoScored rated player in Serie A (7.81 rating) after playing a direct hand in 20 goals in 35 league games. He also won eight WhoScored Man of the Match awards that season. Furthermore, only Douglas Costa (2.9) averages more successful dribbles per game than Pogba (2.3) of all Juventus players across the two tournaments this decade.
Attacking midfield: Paulo Dybala (182 apps / 75 goals) - 7.40 rating
Paulo Dybala almost left Juventus this summer but the Old Lady are all the better with him still at the club. The Argentina international, who has previously been described as the heir to Lionel Messi's throne with the national team, has been great value for Juventus since joining from Palmero €32m in the summer of 2015. Dybala has played a direct hand in 103 goals in 182 appearances across the two tournaments, at least 31 more than any other player this decade. Furthermore, Dybala has the best minutes per goal involvement in this season's Champions League (1 every 41.2 minutes of action).
Striker: Gonzalo Higuain (114 apps / 56 goals) - 7.29 rating
Signed in the summer of 2016 following his extraordinary goalscoring record with Napoli, Gonzalo Higuain further strengthened Juventus' attack and fired the Old Lady to successive league titles. Higuain played a direct hand in a goal every 125.5 minutes of playing time across his first two seasons at Juventus before Cristiano Ronaldo's shock arrival in 2018 ultimately forced him to leave for a season before returning to the club in the summer.
Striker: Carlos Tevez (85 apps / 46 goals) - 7.58 rating
Carlos Tevez rounds off Juventus' best WhoScored rated XI for the decade and finished as their second highest WhoScored rated player. Tevez had a hugely impressive strike rate better than a goal every other game (0.54) and was exactly the sort of hard-working striker Antonio Conte craved in his 3-5-2 formation used at the time. When factoring in assists across the two competitions, Tevez played a direct hand in 61 goals in his 85 appearances for the club.
Notable omissions...
Cristiano Ronaldo (7.58) - Signed in a shock deal from Real Madrid in the summer of 2017, Ronaldo misses out due to the fact he has not made the required appearances to be eligible for selection. The Portugal international hasn't necessarily been at his best for the Old Lady but he has still played a direct hand in 47 goals in 58 appearances across the two competitions.
Claudio Marchisio (7.12) - Marchisio played a direct hand in 58 goals in 273 appearances for Juventus across the two tournaments this decade but the iconic Italian misses out in midfield to Pogba, Pirlo and Vidal.
Andrea Barzagli (6.95) - Alongside Chiellini and Bonucci, Barzagli formed a formidable defensive back line for Juventus for years and made 255 appearances this decade, netting seven times. Moreover, of Juventus players that made over 70 appearances, only one has a better pass success rate than Barzagli (89.8%).
