With the acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus FC has all but secured their next term of Italian football dominance. Juventus has been the team to beat in Italy’s Serie A for years, and adding the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has kept them atop the league standings. Ronaldo has done more for Juventus than dominate the pitch. In the 24 hours after Ronaldo’s signing, Juventus sold 520,000 Ronaldo jerseys worth over $60 million. When Barcelona signed Neymar Jr., they sold just 10,000 in the same span. In short, Juventus got what they paid for. There is a reason Ronaldo signed with Juventus. Aside from the $140 million contract, Ronaldo joined Juventus because of their tradition of success. With 34 Italian league titles, Juventus is an established European football powerhouse. Their success on and off the field has landed them the #8 spot in FanWide’s European soccer rankings. Read below to find out what makes them a top ten team, and check out this blog for more information regarding the ranking process.
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Methodology:
The European soccer scene is unique in that it consists of 5 different comparable leagues. Unlike sports like football and basketball in the USA, which have teams that have competed against each other for years, some European soccer teams might face each other once every five to ten years. Naturally, ranking these teams is a challenge. FanWide’s goal in ranking the top ten European soccer teams was to use metrics that acknowledge the fact that not all teams get a chance to play each other. By using metrics like FanWide’s fan data, the focus in our rankings was split between on and off-field success. As a result, our top ten ranking consists of the most prominent, internationally significant European soccer clubs, accounting for but not solely relying on titles and wins. In the coming weeks, FanWide will be rolling out the top ten, building up to the reveal of the #1 soccer club in Europe. Check out this blog to learn more about what went into the rankings!
Top 10:
8. Juventus
Juventus F.C Ranked:
| Category | Count | Soccer Rank |
| Fan Clubs (FanWide) | 1 | 12 |
| Champions League Wins (all time) | 2 | 7 |
| UEFA Player of the Year Top Ten Finalists (since 2014) | 8 | 2 (tie) |
| Attendance (Average 2018) | 39,157 | 15 |
| Forbes Value (in billions) | 1.47 | 9 |
| Total Social Media Followers (in millions) | 58.43 | 7 |
| Domestic League Titles (all time) | 34 | 1 |
| Domestic League Titles (since 2009) | 7 | 1 |
Fan Clubs (according to FanWide): 1 (12th)
Juventus currently has 1 listed fan club in FanWide’s fan club network, perhaps an indication of Juventus’ relatively modest North American following. As Cristiano Ronaldo drives Juventus towards more international relevance, we might see this number rise. If you are a Juventus fan who wants to set up a local fan club in your city, let us know!
All-Time Champions League Wins: 2 (7th)
Juventus has not won the Champions League final since 1995. Interestingly, since then, two other Italian clubs have earned Champions League titles, AC Milan twice and Inter Milan once. While Juventus has found great success in their domestic league, they have struggled on the international stage. Cristiano Ronaldo has won the last three Champions League finals. Unsurprisingly, Juventus is one of the favorites to win this year. Both the team and Ronaldo hope to keep his streak alive, earning both the prestige and international fame that comes with winning one of the most competitive club football competitions in the world.
UEFA Player of the Year Top Ten Finalists (since 2014): 8 (tied 2nd)
In the past five years, 8 Juventus players have been named top ten UEFA Player of the Year finalists. In the 2014-15 season, 5 of the 10 finalists were Juventus players- Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Carlos Tevez, and Paul Pogba. Since then goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (twice) and Paulo Dybala have cracked the list while playing for the club. Gianluigi Buffon has since departed for Paris St. Germain, and while his goalkeeping is missed, Juventus has found a player to replace him in the role of international superstar. Jersey sales like Ronaldo’s are just one example of the effect that football stars have on their team. Juventus has had no shortage of talented players in recent years, a contributor to their popularity off the field and success on it.
Attendance (Average 2018): 39,157 (15th)
Juventus’ attendance is relatively low. After the 2006 season, Juventus left Stadio Delle Alpi, a stadium in Turin which holds 70,000 people. Eventually, they moved into a stadium with a capacity of just 41,000. The move was made because the original stadium was at about half capacity for each match. Still, Juventus home matches have a surprising amount of empty seats. Just 30,239 seats were sold for a January fixture against Chievo. Some blame the lack of attendance on the departure of fan-favorite stars like Buffon, but many point at ticket prices. The prices of the already expensive seats were hiked with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo. While the club tries to figure out a way to maximize ticket sales, fans are getting impatient. Juventus’ low attendance works against them in more ways than one. Until more tickets are sold (perhaps enough to move back into a larger stadium), Juventus will remain near the bottom in this portion of FanWide’s European soccer rankings.
Team Value: 1.47 B (9th)
According to Forbes, Juventus FC is worth 1.47 billion USD. By this definition, Juventus is the most valuable Italian soccer club. More likely than not, this valuation will rise in the coming years as they see an increase in revenue due to jersey sales, broadcasting deals, etc. A Champions League title wouldn’t hurt either. The valuation considers match day revenue, broadcasting deals, merchandise sales, and outstanding debts.
Aggregate Social Media Followers: 58.43 Million (7th)
FanWide accounted for Juventus’ 20.82 Instagram followers, 1.26 million Twitter followers, and 36.36 million Facebook likes in this ranking. With almost 60 million fans on social media, Juventus has an impressive social following. Their aggregate social media following is a testament to their tradition of success in Italy and their progress in achieving this level of success on the international stage. With over 150 million followers, Cristiano Ronaldo is the most followed person on Instagram. Juventus will undoubtedly continue to see the effect of being associated with Ronaldo on Instagram.
Domestic League Titles (Averaging All Time + Recent Win Rankings): 1st
Juventus has won 7 of the last 10 Serie A titles (in fact, these 7 titles have come consecutively in the past seven years) and 34 in their club’s history. In short, Juventus is a dominating force in Italian football. Teams like Roma, AC Milan, and Inter Milan can be strong competitors, but Juventus often prevails. Such success has allowed them to land players like Ronaldo and has given them international relevancy and domestic glory. As of February 17th, 2019, Juventus is undefeated through 24 matches of Serie A league play and is in position to comfortably win their 8th Serie A title in a row.
Juventus currently sits at #8 in FanWide’s European soccer club rankings. Juventus is the top Italian football club in FanWide’s rankings. No matter where you live or travel, you can find Juventus watch parties near you through FanWide, the world’s largest fan club network.
After you are done checking out the rest of our top 10 European soccer teams, take a look at our top 10 MLB, NBA, and NFL franchises!
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