Norberto Murara Neto’s return to Juventus brings an old face back into a club that has changed its goalkeeper, its coach and much of its hierarchy, while retaining the weight of its own history. The Brazilian has signed until 30 June 2027 after completing medical examinations, returning to Turin eight years after leaving as Gianluigi Buffon’s understudy.
Neto returns to a different Juventus
- Neto has completed his move to Juventus on a contract running through to 30 June 2027.
- He had been without a club for several months before the opportunity arose in Turin.
- The goalkeeper left Juventus in 2017, when he had served as Buffon’s deputy, and subsequently moved to Valencia.
- He now arrives as cover for Guglielmo Vicario after the serious injury suffered by Bartlomiej Grabara.
Vicario is the current first-choice goalkeeper, having joined Juventus from Tottenham in the summer on a free loan agreement with an option to buy. Neto’s first spell, by contrast, came alongside Buffon in a Juventus side that remained one of the defining teams of the Allegri era.
From Buffon’s final great Juventus to Spalletti’s new group
Buffon was in his 22nd season in black and white when Neto last featured in the Juventus squad in 2016-17. He made 43 appearances as Juventus won Serie A and the Coppa Italia, although the campaign ended with a painful Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.
Massimiliano Allegri generally used a 3-4-1-2 during that season. Luciano Spalletti has often set up the current side in a 3-4-2-1, and Neto will find a back line led by a different generation.
- Andrea Barzagli played on the right of Allegri’s three-man defence in his seventh Juventus season, making 39 appearances without scoring. Pierre Kalulu now occupies that area and has become an essential player for Spalletti in his third year at the club.
- Leonardo Bonucci marshalled the centre of the 2016-17 defence, recording 45 matches and five goals in the seventh and last season of his first Juventus spell. He joined Milan that summer after his relationship with Allegri deteriorated.
- Gleison Bremer is the current central reference point. In his fifth Juventus campaign, he wears the captain’s armband when Manuel Locatelli is absent. His only trophy with the club so far is the 2024 Coppa Italia.
- Giorgio Chiellini completed Allegri’s defensive trio in his 12th successive Juventus season, contributing four goals in 33 outings. Jhon Lucumi, bought from Bologna for €19.5 million in the summer, now offers a left-sided defensive option and was recruited to improve Juventus’ build-up play from deep.
The wide roles also underline the distance between the two sides. Dani Alves had arrived from Barcelona in the previous summer and delivered six goals in 33 appearances before moving to Paris Saint-Germain. Weston McKennie is now the adaptable figure on the right, often operating as a wing-back without the ball and further forward in attacking phases.
The midfield absences and attacking references
Allegri’s Juventus leaned heavily on Sami Khedira, who posted 46 appearances and five goals in his second season in Turin. Spalletti would similarly have expected to rely on Locatelli, but the midfielder’s knee injury is expected to keep him out for six to seven months.
Miralem Pjanic directed the 2016-17 midfield after arriving from Roma for €32 million. The Bosnian played 47 times and scored eight goals. Douglas Luiz has taken on the current midfield responsibility after Spalletti revived him following a difficult first season at Juventus and unsuccessful loan spells at Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.
On the left, Alex Sandro was another fixed point for Allegri, registering three goals in 43 appearances during his second Juventus campaign. Zeki Celik, newly arrived but already appearing difficult to dislodge, has taken advantage of Andrea Cambiaso’s struggles to establish himself on the opposite side.
Further forward, Paulo Dybala was in his second Juventus season and ended 2016-17 with 19 goals from 48 matches. Francisco Conceicao is now in his third campaign with the club and has become one of Spalletti’s trusted players.
Mario Mandzukic gave Allegri’s side a particular balance: a second striker in possession, he could work from the left side of midfield when Juventus defended. He played 50 times and scored 11 goals, including Juventus’ temporary equaliser in the Champions League final against Real Madrid.
Spalletti’s preferred left-sided attacker would be Kenan Yildiz, but the Turkish forward is sidelined until at least December after foot surgery. At centre-forward, the contrast is equally marked. Gonzalo Higuain had joined from Napoli for a record €90 million and finished Neto’s first Juventus season with 32 goals in 55 games.
Randal Kolo Muani has scored once so far in his second Juventus spell, yet Spalletti continues to place his faith in the Frenchman. Neto’s return, therefore, is not merely a reunion with an old shirt: it is a role in a new Juventus season, shaped by injuries, rebuilding and a coach still searching for continuity around the players available to him.
