7 Juventus Players of the Last 10 Years Who Never Won over the Fans
As one of European football’s most well-supported clubs, Juventus have fielded some of the game’s most beloved players. It began with early greats such as Giampiero Boniperti and John Charles, flowed through iconic captains such as Beppe Furino and Gaetano Scirea before transcendent stars such as Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero took up the mantle.
The way those figures are revered and remembered by fans of the Turin giants makes them part of the club’s great history, their exploits recorded in the museum that opened alongside Juventus Stadium back in 2011.
Yet beside that pantheon of legendary names, there have also been some despised players who have worn the black-and-white stripes of the reigning Serie A champions. Perhaps the most notable are those who left La Madama during the Calciopoli scandal, with the club’s consequent relegation prompting some high-profile exits.
The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lilian Thuram ruined what had previously strong bond with supporters, ensuring they are now loathed by followers of La Vecchia Signora. However, there are some players who—unlike that aforementioned pair—never enjoyed the backing of the Juve fanbase at any point during their tenures with the club.
What follows is a look at seven such men, specifically those who played for the club in the past decade and failed to win over the fans.
Armand Traore
1 of 7
Unlike many others on this list, fan antipathy toward Armand Traore is somewhat misplaced. There is little doubt the full-back never delivered for the club on the field, but unlike the failures who follow, there were a number of mitigating circumstances for his poor performances.
Joining the Bianconeri on a season-long loan in August 2010, the Frenchman soon suffered an injury that delayed his debut. However, in November 2011, in a candid interview with Wayne Veysey of Goal, he explained that far more serious problems blighted his stint in Turin:
"People don’t know this on the outside. I lost my Dad to cancer. I used to be on the phone to him almost every day. I have seen my Dad when he couldn’t even walk or get out of bed. I had to pick him up myself in the middle of the night. When you see things like this and think about them again, it can be very heart breaking.
He passed away and I had to cope with trying to get back into the Juventus side at the same time as the front page of the papers saying, ‘Traore hasn’t even started playing. He is still injured.' My wife was pregnant. Injuries, injuries, injuries. That was a crazy season. It was a painful time.
"
Given that awful situation, it is little surprise Traore failed to deliver in his 12 appearances for the Bianconeri. He may never have won over the fans, but in this case, it is more than understandable.
Amauri
2 of 7
Arriving in the summer of 2008, once-capped Italy striker Amauri was one of Juve’s first high-profile signings after their top-flight return, yet he never looked like value for money. Having scored 15 goals for Palermo the previous season, the Bianconeri would inexplicably pay a staggering £17.9 million for the then-27-year-old, per Sky Sports.
In 71 Serie A appearances for Juve, he netted just 17 goals, frustrating fans and coaches alike with his lack of ability, prompting one supporter to put him up for sale in an online auction, per Goal.
It proved much tougher to actually shift him, however, and the club eventually accepted a reported fee of just £500,000 from Fiorentina, per FIFA.com, in January 2012.
Jean-Alain Boumsong
3 of 7
If ever the debut of a Juventus player foretold the horrors that would follow, Jean-Alain Boumsong’s bow away to Rimini would undoubtedly be it. The centre-back somehow allowed the Serie B minnows to take the lead against a team stacked with World Cup winners, and it was far from his worst performance.
During their bid to return to the top flight in 2006/07, Boumsong showed all the issues in positioning and awareness that had plagued him at Newcastle United and would never play in Serie A for Juventus.
Sold to Lyon in January 2008, Boumsong earned a place in the France squad for that summer’s European Championship and won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France.
Tiago Mendes
4 of 7
After winning the Serie B title at a canter in 2006/07, Juventus looked to make a splash on their return to the top flight, spending heavily in midfield as they sought to replace departed stars such as Patrick Vieira and Emerson.
That summer, the Bianconeri announced the signings of Portugal international Tiago Mendes from Lyon and Empoli’s Sergio Almiron. According to a report of the official FIFA website, the Turin giants spent €9 million on the latter, who would make just nine appearances before leaving permanently in 2010 after a series of loan deals.
But if the Argentinian left without making any impression, the same could not be said of Tiago, who the same source reported cost Juventus €13 million. Much was expected of him following successful spells with Benfica, Chelsea and Lyon, yet his first season in Turin was a disaster, leading Juve to seek a potential buyer.
The player refused a move to Everton, per BBC Sport, and his relationship with the Italian club only worsened from there after he locked a high-ranking club official in a bathroom after a disagreement.
"The story of me being locked in the toilet by Tiago is true," then-president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli told Sky Italia (h/t the Guardian). However, he still did not leave. Enjoying a brief spell of good form under Claudio Ranieri, it would be 2010 before he eventually left for good, joining Atletico Madrid and going on to win five trophies to date.
Tiago certainly never won over supporters of Italian football’s grand Old Lady, but his time at Juventus remains a blip in an otherwise excellent career
Cristian Molinaro
5 of 7
Previously co-owned by Juventus, Cristian Molinaro was another summer 2007 arrival, and his move sparked an important shift at the club. Injury to Jorge Andrade was the biggest factor, but the presence of the left-back facilitated Giorgio Chiellini’s switch to the role in central defence he maintains today.
Despite that, Molinaro was never convincing and made a series of high-profile errors that cost Juventus dearly. After 81 appearances in three seasons, the Italian left for VfB Stuttgart, and after a brief stint with Parma, he has been a regular for cross-town rivals Torino since 2014.
Christian Poulsen
6 of 7
In the summer of 2008, Juventus needed a creative player capable of passing the ball yet inexplicably signed Christian Poulsen from Sevilla. The archetypal hard-working defensive midfielder would arrive after winning the UEFA Cup with the Spanish side, costing a fee of €9.75 million, according to ESPN FC.
“I cannot wait to begin my adventure with Juventus. I know I will be able to earn the confidence of my new fans,” Poulsen said, per that same source. Yet he would be proven categorically wrong.
Lasting just two seasons, the Denmark international strayed from his strengths and attempted to become a playmaker, failing miserably as he constantly gave away possession and received a plethora of yellow cards.
Jonathan Zebina
7 of 7
While the majority of players here are post-Calciopoli signings, Jonathan Zebina is one of very few players who remained with the club in 2006 yet remains wholly disliked by supporters. Signed on a free transfer from AS Roma in 2004, the French full-back was a personal favourite of Fabio Capello but failed to impress in Turin.
Red cards, defensive errors and the countless times he was caught out of position did not appear to register with the club’s managerial staff, who offered him a new contract in 2007, per UEFA.com, when it was already clear he was not good enough.
It was another example of the errors made during that period, and Zebina might well be the club’s most unloved player of the last 10 years.
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