Juventus' Best-Value transfers XI under Beppe Marotta

Juventus' CEO Beppe Marotta announced on Saturday that he is leaving the club on October 25 after 8 years. During his stint at Turin, Marotta became one of the best and world-known transfer executives.

He is famous for his smooth operating skills which helped Juventus accomplish some exceptional player deals. In fact, Juventus signed footballers of outstanding quality, like Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba, for free of charge, thanks to the divine hand of Marotta. There are other instances that the Bianconeri paid only a minimal sum to bring quality players to Turin, for example, Arturo Vidal (€10.5millions) and Andrea Barzagli (€300thousands).

In the aftermath of his decision to leave the club, we take a glance at the best XI of marvellous footballers that Juventus signed for free, or almost free, during the Marotta years:

Goalkeeper: Neto (free)

Neto stayed at Juventus for 2 seasons

Marotta and Juventus brought Neto for no cost from Fiorentina in 2015. Even though he made only 22 appearances during the two seasons he stayed at Turin, the Brazilian was considered a decent 'plan b' behind the legendary Gianluigi Buffon.

The Bianconeri signed Neto as a free agent and they sold him on July 2017 for €6millions to Valencia.

Right Back: Dani Alves (free)

Juventus got themselves one of the world's best defender with zero cost

Alves shocked the football world when he announced his decision to leave his beloved Barcelona. He joined Juventus on a free transfer on July 2016 and made 33 appearances for the Bianconeri, scoring 6 goals and delivering 7 assists.

He was a regular first team member for the Turin club which whom he was crowned Serie A champion and Coppa Italia winner in the 2016-17 season. Alves was also an integral part of the Juventus squad that reached the Champions League final on June 2017.

Alves left the club the same way he entered; as a free agent. He joined PSG on July 2017.

Left Back: Patrice Evra (€1.9millions)

Juventus paid a modest amount of money to acquire the services of the experienced Frenchman

Juventus got themselves one of the best left-backs in the history of Premier League for a minimal amount of money. Evra joined Juve in 2014 and remained at the club until 2017.

During his time at Turin, Evra made 82 appearances winning 1 domestic double and 1 domestic treble. He left Juventus to join Marseille on a free transfer on January 2017.

Center Back: Andrea Barzagli (€300thousands)

This season is Barzagli's 8th as a Juventus player

The ageless defender is arguably one of the best value for money deals for Juventus under Beppe Marotta. The Italian joined Juve from Wolfsburg in 2011 and he remains one of the most consistent players for the Bianconeri until now.

Barzagli has so far made 272 appearances for the white-and-black jersey, having had a valuable role in the club's reaching a record of 7 consecutive Serie A titles from 2011 to 2018. Apart from the 7 Serie A titles, Barzagli won 3 Italian Super Cups and 4 Coppa Italia and he was a regular starter for the Juventus team that reached twice the Champions League final in 2015 and 2017.

Center Back: Lucio (free)

Lucio made only 4 appearances for Juventus, however, his free of charge move from Inter was considered a quality transfer

Lucio arrived for Juventus on a free transfer on July 2012 as a treble winner with Inter. However, the Brazilian did not manage to meet the club's expectations by any chance.

nevertheless, having not been for his consecutive injuries, Lucio's free transfer to Juventus would have been one of the best in the Marotta years. Lucio kept struggling with injuries from the moment he set foot on Turin and as a result, he managed to make only 4 appearances for the Bianconeri. He left the club 5 months later.

Even if Lucio could not make an impact for Juve, a no-cost signing of a player of his quality cannot be excluded from Marotta's best value deals

Honourable Mentions

Stephan Lichtsteiner (€9.9millions from Lazio)

Angelo Ogbonna (€13millions from Torino)

Reto Ziegler (free transfer from Sampdoria)

Daniele Rugani (€5millions from Empoli)

Robert Kovac (free transfer from Bayern Munich)

Midfielder: Paul Pogba (free)

Pogba became one of the world's best players during his spell at Juventus

Pogba, 18 years old at the time, was unhappy with his limited playing time at Manchester United. Marotta and Juventus stepped in and promise the young Frenchman a fresh, new start and guaranteed playing time to allow him to deploy his talents.

Pogba joined Juve in August 2012 on a free transfer and during his time at Turin, he emerged as one of the best midfielders in the world. As a Juventus player, Pogba won 4 Serie A titles, 2 Coppa Italia, 2 Italian Super Cups and led the team to the Champions League final of the 2014-15 season, where Juventus lost to Barcelona.

Juve sold Pogba back to Manchester United in 2016 for an outstanding fee of €105millions.

Midfielder: Andrea Pirlo (free)

Pirlo defied Father Time producing high-level football as a Juventus player and leading the club to consecutive glories

Arguably, the best Bosman signing for Juventus under Beppe Marotta. At the end of the 2010-11 season, Milan thought that the Maestro's best years were already behind and decided to let him leave for free.

Pirlo joined Juventus instantly and made Milan deeply regret their decision by winning 4 consecutive Serie A titles, 1 Coppa Italia and 2 Italian Super Cups with the Bianconeri. The exceptional Italian was integrated marvellously into Juventus' line-up armed with his incomparable technique and outstanding, game-changing style of play.

Pirlo remained at Juventus until 2015 when he left to join New York City FC on a free transfer. His vision, creativity and elegant style of play made Pirlo one of Juventus' greatest value-for-money additions and surely, Marotta's best deal.

Midfielder: Arturo Vidal (€10.5millions)

A hard-working, complete midfielder, Vidal's performances for Juventus were marvellous

Another astonishing move by Beppe Marotta and Juventus. The Bianconeri managed to earn the signature of the tenacious midfielder for an arguably modest amount of money.

Vidal joined the Turin side from Bayer Leverkusen on July 2011 and stayed at Italy for 4 seasons. A player with outstanding work-rate, Vidal, during his time at Juventus, became one of the most prolific and complete midfielders.

Armed with a combination of high level defending and attacking qualities, the Chilean became an integral part of the Juventus' midfield alongside Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo, leading the club in 4 Serie A titles, 1 Coppa Italia and 2 Italian Supper cups.

He joined Bayern Munich in 2015 for €37.5millons.

Midfielder: Sami Khedira (free)

Khedira won everything with Real Madrid before joining Juventus as a free agent

Juventus got themselves a World Cup and Champions League winner when they signed Sami Khedira for free from Real Madrid on July 2015.

The German was brought as a replacement to the departing Arturo Vidal and still remains a valuable asset of the Bianconeri squad. Khedira has so far won 3 domestic doubles with Juventus. Despite his ups and downs throughout his career as a Juve player, Khedira's signing is considered one of the best value-for-money deals in the club's history.

Honourable Mentions

Emanuele Giaccherini (€7.25millions from Cesena)

Emre Can (free transfer from Liverpool)

Michele Pazienza (free transfer from Napoli)

Forward: Kingsley Coman (free)

Coman was considered a rising star at the time he signed for Juventus free of charge

Coman saw his contract with PSG expired on June 2014 and joined Juventus a few days later.

The young winger was considered a promising prospect upon his arrival at Turin. His extreme speed and dribbling skills were thought to be signs of a long-way relationship with the Italian club. However, the history unfolded in a different way.

Coman made 22 appearances, mainly as a substitute, for Juventus during the one and only season he stayed at Italy. The Frenchman was eager for more and consistent playing time and as a result, he accepted the offer from Bayern Munich and moved to Germany on a two-year loan. Later, the Bavarians made the move permanent paying €21millions to Juventus.

Forward: Carlos Tevez (€9millions)

Tevez is regarded as one of the best strikers in the club's latest history

Manchester City paid €29millions to get Tevez from West Ham in 2009. Juventus paid €9millions for the same player four years later.

The Bianconeri reinforced their attack with a highly-critical, prolific striker for a more than reasonable amount of money. Tevez featured 96 times for Juventus, scoring 50 goals and providing 18 assists.

The Argentinian ended the 2013-14 season as the team's top goalscorer and he was named Juventus Player of the Season. Known for his versatility and powerful style of play, Tevez perfectly fitted the second-striker role behind either Fernando Llorente or Alvaro Morata.

Tevez joined Boca Juniors in July 2015 for a fee of €6.6millions.

Honourable Mentions

Fernando Llorente (free transfer from Athletic Bilbao)

Luca Toni (free transfer from Genoa)