02 December 2019
Once again, so many Juventus protagonists at the Gran Galà del Calcio AIC 2019. The gala evening - now in its ninth edition – was organized by the Italian Football Association and was attended by numerous players from the men's and women's teams, who formed part of the Top 11 team for men and women. These two formations were selected by an exceptional jury formed by coaches, referees, journalists, and current and former coaches of the National team, but above all, the players themselves in Serie A.
But let's start with the most important prize of them all: the one for the best player from last season’s Serie A season. It is Cristiano Ronaldo.
For the Portuguese player this is his first time. His figures from last season speak for themselves: 21 goals in 31 Serie A matches. Between September 2018 and February 2019, CR7 scored in nine consecutive league games: a feat no player in the era of three points to a victory had ever achieved. And before him, the last Bianconeri debutant who had scored at least 10 goals in Serie A after the first 14 team matches had been John Charles in 1957/58.
CHIELLINI, PJANIC AND RONALDO IN THE MEN’S TOP 11
Three Juventus players have been included in the men's top 11: in addition to Cristiano, Giorgio Chiellini and Miralem Pjanic make up the formation.
Giorgio Chiellini, with his most recent Scudetto lifted to the sky, is the only player in the history, along with Andrea Barzagli, to have won eight consecutive Italian league titles. In the last season, he played 25 games with a goal to his name against Fiorentina. Before his injury, the Juventus captain had already scored a goal: the one in the first game of the season against Parma.
In the last Serie A, Miralem Pjanic played 31 matches, scoring two goals. Since arriving in Italy (2011/12), he has scored 16 direct free-kick goals, at least four more than any player in the period. In 2018/19, he completed the most passes (1784) out of his teammates and created more chances for his teammates (72). So far this season, he has made a total of 1102 passes, and has scored three goals in the process.
SIX BIANCONERE IN THE WOMEN’S TOP 11
For the first time, the Gala del Calcio has welcomed the Women’s Top 11, there are as many as six female players from coach Rita Guarino: goalkeeper Laura Giuliani, defenders Sara Gama and Cecilia Salvai, midfielders Valentina Cernoia and Aurora Galli and striker Barbara Bonansea all make theteam. The latter scored the most goals in Serie A in the 2018/19 season (13, like Cristiana Girelli) playing 21 games, all from the first minute. Right now, she is the top scorer in the history of Juventus Women in the top division with 32 goals to her name overall.
In between the poles, Laura Giuliani collected 13 appearances in the last Serie A and remained unbeaten in 10 occasions. And in this league, she has already kept three clean sheets. This, of course, is also the merit of a great defence, which sees captain Sara Gama always soar. She has played as a starter in all the 47 matches played so far in Serie A with the Juventus shirt, and so far, in the 2019/20 campaign is the only Italian player in the team who has always been on the field for every minute this season. At the center of the rearguard alongside Sara was Cecilia Salvai, and they formed an extraordinary couple. She was a starter in 16 of the 17 games played in Serie A 2018/19 season.
Finally, there are the two midfielders, Valentina Cernoia and Aurora Galli. The former scored a total of six goals with Juventus in Serie A, with the Bianconeri always winning in the matches in which she hit the back of the net. The second one has scored at least three goals in her two previous seasons with Juventus.
