Why Martin Caceres Was Always the Odd Man Out at Juventus

Understanding the career path of Martin Caceres has always been difficult, but the journey of the Uruguay international took another twist this week as Juventus announced that he would be leaving the club on July 1.

In a statement published on their official website on Thursday, the Turin giants noted that his contact expired on June 30 and that he would be departing immediately, while thanking him “for his efforts in a history-making five-season spell.”

The 29-year-old won the Serie A title in each of those campaigns, adding two Coppa Italia triumphs and three Supercoppa Italiana along the way as he made 168 appearances in all competitions for the Old Lady.

Yet this was merely confirmation of an exit that Bianconeri director general Beppe Marotta had already given notice of back in April, when he was asked about speculation surrounding Caceres' future.

“I don't know if Caceres will go to Napoli,” the club official told Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli (h/t Football Italia). “He’s out of contract and at this moment he’s free to find an agreement with whoever he wants to.”

With his next move unclear, looking back over the course of his career shows that predicting it could be extremely difficult.

Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, he would break into the first team at local side Defensor Sporting while still a teenager before enjoying a special year in 2007 when Villarreal swooped to sign him.

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On this day in 2008, Martin Cáceres joined Barcelona for €16.5m. He played only 23 games there. #JuveFCB pic.twitter.com/gecy6WczPr

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) June 3, 2015"

Immediately loaned to Recreativo de Huelva, he would help them retain their La Liga status, and his excellent form saw him capped at international level for the first time. It would also prompt Barcelona—who had just installed Pep Guardiola as coach—to buy him at a cost of €16.5 million, according to the official UEFA website.

He would struggle to break into the starting XI at Camp Nou, however, and was loaned to Juventus for the 2009/10 season. Caceres would settle quickly in Italy, netting in a 2-0 win against Lazio on his debut, but despite him having a fine campaign, the Bianconeri would refuse to pay Barca's asking price. 

That would mean another loan, this time to fellow Spanish side Sevilla. That switch would be made permanent in May 2011, but in January of the following year—after just 55 appearances—he would return to Turin.

Again it would be initially on loan and again he would net on his first appearance, scoring twice in a 2-1 Coppa Italia victory over AC Milan.

He was delighted to be back, telling a press conference that he was willing to play wherever then-coach Antonio Conte asked him to as long as he made a contribution:

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The role isn’t important, the only thing that matters is playing in the first place.

As far as I’m concerned there’s no difference between one position or another, but if I had to choose my preferred position is central defender.

But I’ve played right-back, left-back and centre-back for Uruguay and it has always been fine. The most important thing is to play.

"

He would be bought outright in the summer of 2012, but even knowing his future was secure, Caceres would be fully aware that earning a regular first-team place was almost impossible. Conte had already instilled his favoured three-man defence, with Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini beginning to shine as a formidable unit.

But as much as that Italian trio were ahead of him in the pecking order, injuries would also limit his chances. Caceres would make limited contributions under both Conte and Massimiliano Allegri, with the table below showing his starts in Serie A, the UEFA Champions League and for Uruguay over the past five seasons.

Martin Caceres Starts 2011-16

Clearly an irregular member of the Juve side, he became a hugely frustrating figure for the club’s supporters, because when he was available, he could show great intensity and qualities that the team desperately needed.

The 2013/14 season—where he made the most starts of his Bianconeri career—highlights exactly that point. According to statistics taken from WhoScored.com, Caceres averaged 2.2 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 2.4 clearances per game, while also connecting with 90.5 per cent of his 61.4 pass attempts.

squawka.com

Furthermore, as the Squawka.com graphic above shows, he was consistently superb. The defender won an impressive 66 per cent of every duel he contested, displaying all the battling qualities that made him so admired.

If that campaign was Caceres at his best, then 2015/16 was a showcase of every negative opinion of the Uruguay international. It began with him in great form, starting in the Supercoppa Italiana at the Shanghai Stadium in China, playing 90 minutes and helping the Bianconeri lift the trophy courtesy of a superb 2-0 victory over Lazio.

He would be in the first XI for two of the club’s first three Serie A fixtures, only to self-destruct in spectacular fashion. With Juve in the midst of an injury crisis, Caceres crashed his car into a bus stop just outside Turin, with the ANSA news agency and La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t ESPN FC's Ben Gladwell) reporting that he had been found to be over the drink-driving limit.

The club were left with no choice but to punish the player, announcing via their official website that the 29-year-old would serve a one-match suspension for what the statement described as a “gross violation of his responsibilities as a Juventus player, as well as damaging the image of the club.”

More fitness problems meant that his return was delayed until a January 6 clash with Hellas Verona, and he would manage just four more appearances before a major injury ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Carried off the field against Genoa on February 3 in tears, the club later issued a statement on their official website revealing that Caceres had undergone surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon suffered during that match.

“Caceres is an extraordinary lad and a great defender” Allegri told Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia) shortly after the win over Genoa, but with the Juventus statement expecting him to be out of action for around five months, it effectively marked his last outing in their famous black and white stripes.

Yet the positives have been overshadowed by his inability to be ready for action, with Juve bidding farewell rather than offering a new deal. La Nazione (h/t Football Italia) believe that Fiorentina have joined Napoli and AS Roma in expressing interest in adding him to their squads, teams who could use a player of his quality.

None of those clubs have the likes of Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini blocking his path, but he must also rededicate himself to the game if he is to succeed. Rather than those three Azzurri stars, it has always been Martin Caceres who has stood in his own way and limited his chances of progressing, and it will be intriguing to watch his next move.