Serie A’s Best Veteran Signings… And is Robert Lewandowski About to Be the Next?

Juve Top Four Spot All But Secured

After the 2-0 win at home to Bologna, Juventus have solidified their position in fourth place, with their five-point buffer to Como prompting online betting sites to install them as a clear 1/9 favourite to secure a spot in next season’s Champions League. The popular no vig fair calculator at Thunderpick suggests that their true odds without the bookmaker’s edge lie closer to 1/7, but still, it would be an almighty shock if they were to collapse now and surrender their spot in the top four.

But while Champions League qualification is all but secured, Juve remain a whopping 15 points behind table-topping Inter. One has to feel that the potential signing of Lewandowski would help bridge that gap somewhat and bring the Bianconeri closer to Scudetto contention next term.

So, with Serie A clubs never shy to bring in veteran superstars, which of them have managed to sign the best of them over the years? Let’s take a look.

Andrea Pirlo Swaps Milan for Turin

Andrea Pirlo was the finest deep-lying playmaker Italian football had ever seen. He claimed two Champions League crowns with Milan, as well as two Serie A titles as well. His set-piece mastery and ability to control games in midfield made him priceless to the Rossoneri, but by the time the summer of 2011 rolled around, he was 31 years of age, and the San Siro club was about to do the unthinkable. Allow their once-prized asset to leave on a free transfer.

Milan thought Pirlo’s best days were behind them. Juventus were convinced that they were wrong. The Bianconeri and Antonio Conte swooped, signing the deep-lying playmaker for absolutely nothing, and he would go on to play his best football in Turin. Pirlo helped his new team claim four straight Scudetto, twice the number he claimed in Milan. He would also help the club reach the 2015 UEFA Champions League final and lead Italy to the final of Euro 2012.

Luca Toni’s Late Career Renaissance

Luca Toni was 35 years of age by the time he returned to Italy in the summer of 2012 after an ill-fated stint with Al Nasr in the UAE. Many thought the powerhouse striker’s best days were well behind him. He was a towering presence in Italy’s famous 2006 World Cup final, while his peak came between 2003 and 2009 during goal-laden stints with Palermo, Fiorentina, and Bayern Munich. By the time 2012 rolled around, he hadn’t hit the double-digit goals mark in a single season since the 2008/09 campaign.

Fiorentina were the first to pull the trigger, bringing their former target man home on a free transfer on transfer deadline day. He would go on to net a modest eight goals in the 2013/13 season, but it was the move from the Viola to Hellas Verona where he would truly return to his devastating best.

The newly promoted Gialloblu tempted Toni to Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi, and what an inspired decision it proved to be for both parties. The towering striker would net 20 league goals in his first season with the club at the age of 37, his best tally since 2007/08. The following season, he would go two better, bagging 22 goals at the age of 38 to claim a share of the Capocannoniere title alongside Inter hitman Mauro Icardi, nine years on from when he first won the award with Fiorentina.

Toni brought the curtain down on his career after hitting seven goals in the 2016/17 season, and with it, ended one of the best late-career renaissances Italian football had ever seen.