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Goal.com Special: Former Brazilians Who Have Played For Juventus
Amauri, Diego, Felipe Melo . . . the Bianconeri are now attracting quality players from Brazil. But it was not always that way.
Jul 15, 2009 5:19:59 PM
After years in which Juventus have only sparingly dipped into the gold mine of talent in Brazil, they now seem to be changing their ways. In Diego and now Felipe Melo, the Bianconeri have members of the Selecao, and they also have Brazilian-born Amauri, whose international allegiance is yet to be decided.
A surprising fact exists, however. Juventus, until now, have only had 13 Brazilians who have played in their colors. It is a meager number compared to many other teams, particularly AC Milan and Inter, whose lineups have been adorned with Brazilian names. One reason for this could be that when Brazilians have lined up in the Bianconeri strip, they have not always performed to the best of their abilities.
For instance, the left-back Athirson played only five times during the 2001-02 campaign without leaving any memories as to what he had contributed. Nor did the old guard perform any better. During 1961-62, Fernando Jose Puglia only made one appearance while Leonardo Colella scored seven times in 21 appearances in 1955-56. More recently, the youngster Gladstone only played once in the Coppa Italia during 2005-06, making little impression.
Fortunately, however, there have been some Brazilians in the recent past who have performed better, such as Emerson or Julio Cesar.'Puma' spent two years with the Old Lady after moving from AS Roma in 2004, making 91 appearances and showing wonderful class and ability on the ball. Sadly this was less evident both at Real Madrid and AC Milan after he moved on from Turin.
Julio Cesar, a rock at the heart of the defense, played for Juventus from 1990-1994 and made 119 appearances, the highest of any Brazilian for the Bianconeri. There was also the prolific Jose Altafini, who played 119 times and scored 37 goals at the end of his career after successful spells with AC Milan and Napoli.
Clearly, there is room for improvement, but nonetheless there are great examples for the Brazilians of the future to follow. Now we must wait and see whether the new stars in Amauri, Felipe Melo and Diego raise the bar yet further.
Here are all the Brazilians who have worn the famous colors of Juventus before the current trio.
Jose Altafini - Athirson - Cinesinho - Colella Leonardo - Da Costa - Emerson - Fernando - Gladstone - Julio Cesar - Armando Miranda - Nene - Sernagiotto - Siciliano
Anthony Wright, Goal.com
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A surprising fact exists, however. Juventus, until now, have only had 13 Brazilians who have played in their colors. It is a meager number compared to many other teams, particularly AC Milan and Inter, whose lineups have been adorned with Brazilian names. One reason for this could be that when Brazilians have lined up in the Bianconeri strip, they have not always performed to the best of their abilities.
For instance, the left-back Athirson played only five times during the 2001-02 campaign without leaving any memories as to what he had contributed. Nor did the old guard perform any better. During 1961-62, Fernando Jose Puglia only made one appearance while Leonardo Colella scored seven times in 21 appearances in 1955-56. More recently, the youngster Gladstone only played once in the Coppa Italia during 2005-06, making little impression.
Fortunately, however, there have been some Brazilians in the recent past who have performed better, such as Emerson or Julio Cesar.'Puma' spent two years with the Old Lady after moving from AS Roma in 2004, making 91 appearances and showing wonderful class and ability on the ball. Sadly this was less evident both at Real Madrid and AC Milan after he moved on from Turin.
Julio Cesar, a rock at the heart of the defense, played for Juventus from 1990-1994 and made 119 appearances, the highest of any Brazilian for the Bianconeri. There was also the prolific Jose Altafini, who played 119 times and scored 37 goals at the end of his career after successful spells with AC Milan and Napoli.
Clearly, there is room for improvement, but nonetheless there are great examples for the Brazilians of the future to follow. Now we must wait and see whether the new stars in Amauri, Felipe Melo and Diego raise the bar yet further.
Here are all the Brazilians who have worn the famous colors of Juventus before the current trio.
Jose Altafini - Athirson - Cinesinho - Colella Leonardo - Da Costa - Emerson - Fernando - Gladstone - Julio Cesar - Armando Miranda - Nene - Sernagiotto - Siciliano
Anthony Wright, Goal.com
Want more from Goal.com delivered right to your door? Introducing "Goal.com Magazine." Subscribe now!
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