Key players

These were the players who stood out throughout the 2011-12 season:

Andrea Pirlo (36 league games/3 goals)

A year ago, AC Milan decided the elegant midfield playmaker's best days were behind him and opted not to offer him the new contract he wanted.

He was already 32 when he joined a Juve team looking to rebuild from scratch after a second disastrous season in a row ended in a seventh-place finish and the failure to qualify for Europe.

An ageing and fragile midfielder discarded by the champions was perhaps not the obvious choice, but Pirlo has been the catalyst behind Juve's success.

He proved he has lost none of his swagger, vision or range of passing, and has been by far the stand-out performer; not just for his club, but throughout the whole league.

Pirlo has set the pace, rhythm and tempo that Juve has played at and brought teammates around him into the game and put them into dangerous positions.

Arturo Vidal (33/7)

He has formed an excellent partnership with Pirlo and also Claudio Marchisio in coach Antonio Conte's 3-man midfield.

Claudio Marchisio (36/9)

Something of an unsung hero, certainly outside of his homeland, this midfielder has made a crucial contribution to Juve's success.

Gianluigi Buffon (35/0)

The Italy goalkeeper's experience has been crucial as the team's skipper with official club captain Alessandro Del Piero usually warming the bench.

Organizing the defense in front of him, Buffon has been a point of reference and a vital cog in the best defense in the league.

(China Daily 05/08/2012 page22)