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Italy national football team

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Italy
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Azzurri (Blues)
AssociationFederazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio
(Italian Football Federation)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachRoberto Donadoni (2006-)
CaptainFabio Cannavaro
Most capsPaolo Maldini (126)
Top scorerLuigi Riva (35)
FIFA codeITA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current1
Highest1 (November 1993
February 2007)
Lowest16 (April 1998)
First international
Italy Italy 6 - 2 France France
(Milan, Italy; 15 May, 1910)
Biggest win
Italy Italy 9 - 0 USA United States
(Brentford, England; 2 August, 1948)
Biggest defeat
Hungary Hungary 7 - 1 Italy Italy
(Budapest, Hungary; 6 April, 1924)
World Cup
Appearances16 (first in 1934)
Best resultWinners, 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006
European Championship
Appearances6 (first in 1968)
Best resultWinners, 1968
Olympic medal record
Men's Football
Gold medal – first place 1936 Berlin Team
Bronze medal – third place 1928 Amsterdam Team
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens Team

The Italian national football team (Nazionale italiana di Calcio) is controlled by the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC) and represents Italy in international football competition. They are the current World Champions, having won the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Italy is among the top teams in international football and the second most successful national team in World Cup play, having won four World Cups (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), just one fewer than Brazil. To this tally they can add one European championship (1968), two Central European International Cup and one Olympic Gold Medal (1936).

The traditional colour of the national team (as well as of all Italian teams and athletes except in motor sports) is light blue[1] (azzurro, in Italian), and therefore national team members are nicknamed Azzurri.

History

Origins and first two World Cups (1910–1938)

File:1934 Football World Cup poster.jpg
Poster of 1934 World Cup edition.

The team's first match was held in Milan on 15 May 1910; Italy defeated France by a score of 6-2.[2]

The first success in an official tournament came with the bronze medal in 1928 Summer Olympics, held in Amsterdam. After losing the semi-final against Uruguay, a victory for 11-3 against Egypt secured third place in the competition.

After declining to participate in the first World Cup (1930, in Uruguay), the Italian national team won two consecutive editions of the tournament in 1934 and 1938, under the lead of coach Vittorio Pozzo and thanks to the genius of Giuseppe Meazza, one of the best Italian players ever.

In the 1934 World Cup, the host Azzurri defeated Czechoslovakia 2–1 in Rome, with goals by Raimundo Orsi and Angelo Schiavio.

Italy won the Gold medal in the 1936 Summer Olympics, held in Berlin, thanks to a victory in the final match against Austria.

Italy's predominance on international football in the 1930s was confirmed by the victory in 1938 World Cup. The Italian team beat Hungary 4–2 in Paris, with two goals by Silvio Piola (the all-time top scorer in Italian football) and two by Gino Colaussi.

Post-World War II (1946–1966)

After World War II, the Italian national team did not perform at its pre-war levels.

The tragic loss in 1949 of the players of Torino (the winners of the previous four Serie A titles) in the Superga air disaster saw the loss of ten out of the eleven constituting the initial line-up for the national team. The following year, Italy did not advance further than the first round of the 1950 World Cup, partly due to the long and physically devastating boat trip to Brazil.

In the World Cup finals of 1954 and the 1962 that followed, Italy again failed to progress past the first round, and did not even qualify for the 1958 World Cup. During the early 1960s, although Italian football clubs like AC Milan and Internazionale ruled the international scene, the National team was unable to replicate these results. Italy did not take part in the first edition of the European Championship in 1960 (then known as the European Nations Cup), and was knocked out by the USSR in the round of 16 (second round) of the 1964 European Championship.

Their participation in the 1966 World Cup is always remembered for their 0–1 defeat at the hands of North Korea. Despite being the tournament favourites, the Azzurri, whose 1966 squad was rich with talent including Rivera and Bulgarelli, were eliminated in the first round by the semi-professional North Koreans and bitterly condemned upon their return home, while North Korean scorer Pak Doo-Ik was celebrated as the David who killed Goliath.[6].

European champions and World Cup runners-up (1968–1976)

In 1968, the Azzurri won their first major competition since the 1938 World Cup, defeating Yugoslavia in Rome for the European Championship title. The match holds the distinction of being the only major football tournament final to go to a replay. After extra time it ended in a 1-1 draw, and in the days before penalty shootouts, the rules required the match to be re-played a few days later. Italy won the replay 2-0 (with goals from Riva and Anastasi) to lift the trophy.

Two years later, the defending European Champions reached the final of the 1970 World Cup, held in Mexico. First, Italy won its first round group scoring only one goal, after a series of dull, uninspired games against Sweden, Uruguay, and Israel. The quarter-finals saw a transformed Italy prevail 4-1 over host Mexico after trailing 0-1. Then, the semi-final between Italy and West Germany went into the legend as one of the greatest games ever. This match, won by 4-3 after extra time, is known as the Game of the Century, and a marker at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City still commemorates it. Italy took a 1-0 lead through Boninsegna on 8', then Germany pressed to equalize for the rest of the game, until the very end when sweeper Schnellinger, then with Italy's AC Milan club, scored in injury time. In extra time, Müller brought Germany the lead on 94' before Italian defender Burgnich leveled the score with a rare international goal. On 104', Riva made it 3-2, only for Müller to equalize six minutes later. The TV cameras were still replaying this goal when Rivera finely volleyed a cross by Boninsegna for the winning goal in the 111'. For the very first time, people gathered in the streets of Italy in the late night to cheer for the victory, and after many years this game still remains the most noted in Italian football history.

In the two games against Mexico and West Germany, coach Ferruccio Valcareggi had Rivera replace Mazzola in a programmed second half substitution, that was then called staffetta (meaning relay as in athletics). This tactic was not repeated in the final, where Italy was defeated by Brazil. During the first half, Boninsegna answered Pelé's 18' goal. In the second half, Brazil's firepower was simply too much for a tired Italian side, and the final 4-1 result consecrated Brazil as tri-campeão (three-time champion).

This generation of great Italian players, like Riva, Rivera, Mazzola and Facchetti, didn't keep up the same level during the next 1972 European Championship where they didn't qualify to the play-offs. In 1973 they obtained prestigious victories in friendly matches, beating Brazil and twice England. In particular, Italy stormed Wembley Stadium, winning 1-0 with a goal by Fabio Capello. Despite these encouraging premises, coach Valcareggi was to resign after the elimination of the Italian team in the first round of the 1974 World Cup. Italy was as well eliminated at an early stage in 1976 European Championship.

World Cup winners for the third time (1978–1982)

1978 FIFA World Cup, held in Argentina, saw a new generation of Italian players, the most famous being Paolo Rossi, coming to the international stage. Italy played very well in the first round, being the only team in the tournament to beat the latter World Champion and host team Argentina. Second round games against West Germany, Austria and Netherlands led Italy to the third place final, where it was defeated by Brazil 2-1. As in the match against the Netherlands, Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff was beaten by a long-distance shot and thus blamed as the main responsible of the defeat. Italy then organized the 1980 UEFA European Football Championship, the first edition to be held between eight teams instead of four, and with the host team automatically qualified for the finals. Italy was beaten by Czechoslovakia in the third place match after penalties.

After a clamorous scandal in the Serie A, where also few National Team players like Paolo Rossi were prosecuted and suspended for fixed games and illegal bets, the Azzurri arrived to the 1982 FIFA World Cup among general scepticism and discomfort. Italy qualified to the second round after a series of uninspiring matches against Poland, Peru and Cameroon. Being violently criticized, the Italian team decided a press black-out from then on, with only coach Enzo Bearzot and captain Dino Zoff appointed to speak with the press.

Italy's strength was finally shown in the second round group, a true Group of Death with Brazil and Argentina. In the opener, Italy prevailed 2-1 over Diego Maradona's side after an ill-tempered, obscure battle in which Italy's defenders and midfielders proved their mastery in the rougher side of the game. The winning goals were scored by Marco Tardelli and Antonio Cabrini. After Brazil defeated Argentina 3-1, Italy was obliged to win to pass to semifinals. Twice Italy went in the lead on Paolo Rossi goals, and twice Brazil came back. With the 2-2 scored by Paulo Roberto Falcão, Brazil would have been through on goal difference, but on 74' Rossi scored the winning goal sending Italy to the semifinals in one of the all-time great games of World Cup history[7]. In the wake of its brilliant second round performance, Italy easily dispatched Poland in the first semi-final through two goals scored by Rossi.

File:Tardelli1982.jpg
Tardelli's howl after scoring against West Germany in 1982 World Cup final.

In the final match, Italy met their traditional opponent West Germany, who were coming from a penalty shoot-out against France. The first half ended without goals, after Cabrini missed a penalty for Italy. In the second half Paolo Rossi again scored the first goal, and while the Germans were trying to balance the result, Marco Tardelli and Alessandro Altobelli scored 3-0, before Paul Breitner could score West Germany's consolation goal seven minutes from end.

Tardelli's howl after his goal in the final is still recorded as the symbol of 1982 World Cup victory. Paolo Rossi won the Golden Boot with six goals, and 40-year-old captain-goalkeeper Dino Zoff became the oldest-ever player to win the World Cup.

World Cup and European Championship runners-up (1984–2004)

For twenty-four years following the 1982 triumph, the Azzurri figured prominently on the world stage but did not win another tournament. Italy failed to qualify for the 1984 European Championship and were knocked out in the Round of 16 of the 1986 World Cup by France. 1988 saw them reach the semi-finals of the European Championship, where they were defeated 2-0 by USSR.

Italy hosted the World Cup for the second time in 1990. The Italian attack featured forwards Salvatore Schillaci and a young Roberto Baggio. Despite being favourites[8] to win and not conceding a goal during five matches, Italy was knocked-out in the semi-final by defending World Champion Argentina, losing 4-3 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw after extra time; Aldo Serena missed the final penalty kick (with Roberto Donadoni having earlier had his penalty saved). Italy went on to defeat England 2-1 in the third place match. Italy then failed to qualify for the 1992 European Championship.

In the 1994 World Cup, Italy started very faintly but reached the final. They lost the opening match against Ireland 0-1, this being the only match Italy would lose (not counting games lost after shootout) over the span of three World Cup finals from 1990 to 1998, but advanced from Group E based on goals scored among the four teams tied on points. In the Round of 16, Italy was down 0-1 late against Nigeria, but Roberto Baggio equalized in the 88th minute and scored the penalty goal in extra time.[3] Baggio scored another late goal against Spain in the quarter-final to seal a 2-1 win and two goals against Bulgaria in the semi-final for another 2-1 win.[4][5] In the final, Italy and Brazil played 120 minutes of scoreless football, taking the match to penalty shootout. Italy lost the subsequent shootout 3-2 after Baggio missed the final penalty kick of the match, shooting over the crossbar.[6]

Italy didn't progress beyond the group stage during the finals of Euro 96. Again, Gianfranco Zola failed to convert a decisive penalty against Germany, who eventually won the tournament. Then, during the qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the Azzurri beat England in Wembley for the second time, 1-0 with a goal by Zola. In the final tournament, Italy found themselves in another critical shootout, for the third World Cup in a row. The Italian side, where Del Piero and Baggio renewed the controversial staffetta (relay) between Mazzola and Rivera from 1970, held to a 0-0 draw the eventual World Champions and host team France after extra time in the quarter-finals, but lost 4-3 in the shootout. With two goals scored in this tournament, Roberto Baggio is still the only Italian player who scored in three different FIFA World Cup editions.

In Euro 2000, another shootout was this time to favour Italy, in the semi-final against co-host nation, Netherlands. Italian goalkeeper Francesco Toldo saved one penalty during the match and two during the shootout, while the Dutch players missed one other penalty during the match and one during the shootout with a rate of one penalty scored out of six attempts. Emerging football star Francesco Totti scored his penalty with a cucchiaio (spoon) chip. Italy finished the tournament as runners-up, losing the final 2–1 against France (to a golden goal in extra time), after conceding les Bleus' equalizing goal just 30 seconds before the end of injury time (94'). After the defeat, coach Dino Zoff resigned after being clamorously criticized by A.C. Milan president and politician Silvio Berlusconi.

In the 2002 World Cup co-host country South Korea knocked out Italy in the Round of 16, reviving the 1966 nightmare. The match was marked by controversy, as referee Byron Moreno gave Francesco Totti a second yellow card in extra time for an alleged dive, and disallowed an Italian goal. Replays seemed to indicate both that the card was unfounded and the goal was good, but the decisions stood and South Korea won 2-1, again with a golden goal in extra time.[7].

A three-way tie in the group stage of the 2004 European Championship left Italy as the "odd man out", and they failed to qualify for the quarter-finals, finishing behind Denmark and Sweden on the basis of number of goals scored in matches among the tied teams.[8] The winning goal scored during stoppage time against Bulgaria by Cassano resulted useless, leaving the Italian striker in tears at the end of the game.

2006 World Cup: Champions for the fourth time

Italy's campaign in the 2006 World Cup, held in Germany, was followed by open pessimism[9], caused by the controversies following clamorous 2006 Serie A scandal. But these predictions were then going to be refuted, since Azzurri eventually won their fourth World Cup.

Italy won their opening game against Ghana 2-0, with goals coming from Andrea Pirlo (40') and Vincenzo Iaquinta (83'). The team performance was judged the best among the opening games by FIFA president Sepp Blatter[10].

The second match was a much less convincing 1-1 draw with USA, with the opening goal by Alberto Gilardino equalized by a Cristian Zaccardo own goal. After the equalizing goal, Daniele De Rossi and two American players were sent off, leaving only nineteen men on the field for nearly the entirety of the second half, but the score remained the same. De Rossi was suspended for four matches for elbowing American player Brian McBride and could only return for the final match.

Italy finished on top of Group E with a neat 2-0 win against the Czech Republic, with goals from Marco Materazzi (26') and Filippo Inzaghi (87'), advancing to the Round of 16 in the knockout stages, where Australia were beaten 1-0. In this match, Materazzi was controversially sent off early in the second half, but in the end the Azzurri won with a controversial penalty kick, won by Fabio Grosso and converted in the 95th minute by Totti.

The quarter-final match was a 3-0 victory against Ukraine, with Gianluca Zambrotta opening the scoring (6') and Luca Toni scoring twice (59' and 69'). Manager Marcello Lippi dedicated the victory to former Italian international Gianluca Pessotto, who was recovering from an alleged suicide attempt.[9]

In the semi-final, that would be remembered as the most memorable game of the event, Italy beat hosts Germany 2-0, with the two goals coming in the last two minutes of extra-time. Fabio Grosso scored the first goal in the 119th minute, after a disguised Pirlo pass found him open in the penalty area, and Alessandro Del Piero sealed the victory, by scoring in the last minute of extratime.

Within the crowd in Circus Maximus in Rome, after the Italian team scored against France

The Azzurri won their fourth World Cup, defeating France in Berlin, on July 9, 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the end of extra time. French captain Zinedine Zidane opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a tricky penalty kick, controversially awarded for a foul by Materazzi. Twelve minutes later, a header by Materazzi, from a perfectly placed corner by Pirlo, scored the equalizer. In the second half, a headed goal by Toni was nullified for an offside. At 110', Zidane was sent off after a head butt, provoked by an insult directed at him by Materazzi; the two players were eventually fined by the FIFA. Italy then won the penalty shoot-out 5-3, after David Trézéguet's attempt hit the crossbar and Italy scoring on all five attempts, Grosso converting the final penalty past French keeper Barthez.

Ten different players scored for Italy and five goals out of twelve were scored by substitutes, while four goals were scored by defenders. Seven players - Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Totti and Toni - were named to the 23-man tournament All Star Team.[10] Buffon also won the Lev Yashin Award, given to the best goalkeeper of the tournament; he conceded only two goals in the tournament, the first an own goal by Zaccardo and the second from Zidane's penalty, and remained unbeaten for 460 consecutive minutes.[11]

After the World Cup

Days after the Italian triumph in the World Cup, Lippi announced his resignation.[12]1994 World Cup star Roberto Donadoni was announced the new coach of the Azzurri on July 13. Italy is currently playing in the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Group B, along with France.[13] On February 14, 2007, FIFA ranked Italy 1st in the FIFA World Rankings, moving them up one from their previous rank, 2nd. The Azzurri had not received such an honour since 1993.[14]

Tournament records

World Cup record

Year Finish Matches Wins Draws* Losses Goals Scored Goals Against
1930 Did not enter
1934 Champions 5 4 1 0 12 3
1938 Champions 4 4 0 0 11 5
1950 Round 1 2 1 0 1 4 3
1954 Round 1 3 1 0 2 6 7
1958 Did not qualify
1962 Round 1 3 1 1 1 3 2
1966 Round 1 3 1 0 2 2 2
1970 Runners up 6 3 2 1 10 8
1974 Round 1 3 1 1 1 5 4
1978 Fourth place 7 4 1 2 9 6
1982 Champions 7 4 3 0 12 6
1986 Round of 16 4 1 2 1 5 6
1990 Third place 7 6 1 0 10 2
1994 Runners up 7 4 2 1 8 5
1998 Quarterfinals 5 3 2 0 8 3
2002 Round of 16 4 1 1 2 5 5
2006 Champions 7 5 2 0 12 2
Total 16/18 77 44 19 14 122 69

Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

European Championship record

Honours

This is a list of honours for all of the senior Italian national teams, including Olympic and Military teams

Coaches

During the earliest days of Italian nation football, it was common for a Technical Commission to be appointed. The Commission took the role that a standard coach would currently play. Since 1967, the national team has been controlled only by coaches.

For this reason, the coach of the Italian national team is still called Technical Commissioner (Commissario tecnico o CT).

Players

Current squad

The following players named for Euro 2008 qualifier against the Faroe Islands on June 2, 2007 and Lithuania on June 6, 2007 [11].

Caps and goals as of 28 March, 2007, included against Scotland.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Gianluigi Buffon 28 January 1978 73 0 Italy Juventus
2 2DF Alessandro Gamberini 27 August 1981 0 0 Italy Fiorentina
3 2DF Max Tonetto 18 November 1974 1 0 Italy Roma
4 3MF Massimo Ambrosini 29 May 1977 23 0 Italy Milan
5 2DF Fabio Cannavaro (c) 13 September 1973 106 1 Spain Real Madrid
6 2DF Andrea Barzagli 8 May 1981 13 0 Italy Palermo
7 4FW Alessandro Del Piero 9 November 1974 81 27 Italy Juventus
8 3MF Gennaro Gattuso 9 January 1978 51 1 Italy Milan
9 4FW Filippo Inzaghi 9 August 1973 54 25 Italy Milan
10 3MF Daniele De Rossi 24 July 1983 26 4 Italy Roma
11 4FW Tommaso Rocchi 19 September 1977 2 0 Italy Lazio
12 1GK Christian Abbiati 8 July 1977 4 0 Spain Atlético
13 2DF Manuel Pasqual 13 March 1982 2 0 Italy Fiorentina
14 1GK Marco Amelia 2 April 1982 3 0 Italy Livorno
16 3MF Aimo Diana 2 January 1978 12 0 Italy Palermo
17 4FW Antonio Di Natale 13 October 1977 9 2 Italy Udinese
18 4FW Cristiano Lucarelli 4 October 1975 3 1 Italy Livorno
19 2DF Gianluca Zambrotta 19 February 1977 63 2 Spain Barcelona
20 3MF Simone Perrotta 17 September 1977 35 2 Italy Roma
21 3MF Andrea Pirlo 19 May 1979 36 5 Italy Milan
22 2DF Massimo Oddo 14 June 1976 26 1 Italy Milan
23 2DF Marco Materazzi 19 August 1973 36 2 Italy Internazionale
27 4FW Fabio Quagliarella 31 October 1983 1 2 Italy Udinese

Recent call-up

The following players have all recently been called up to the Italy squad. Bracket shows last call-up time.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Morgan de Sanctis (Euro 2008 qual. v. Scotland, 28 March) 26 March 1977 2 0 Italy Udinese
1GK Flavio Roma (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) 21 June 1974 3 0 France Monaco
2DF Daniele Bonera (Euro 2008 qual. v. Scotland, 28 March) 31 May 1981 11 0 Italy Milan
2DF Alessandro Nesta (Euro 2008 qual. v. Georgia, 11 October) 19 March 1976 78 0 Italy Milan
2DF Fabio Grosso (Euro 2008 qual. v. Georgia, 11 October) 28 November 1977 25 2 Italy Internazionale
2DF Cristian Zaccardo (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) 21 December 1981 16 1 Italy Palermo
2DF Dario Dainelli (Euro 2008 qual. v. France, 6 September) 9 June 1979 1 0 Italy Fiorentina
2DF Giorgio Chiellini (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) 14 August 1984 6 0 Italy Juventus
2DF Luciano Zauri (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) 20 January 1978 5 0 Italy Lazio
2DF Cristian Zenoni (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) 23 April 1977 2 0 Italy Sampdoria
2DF Giulio Falcone (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) 31 May 1974 1 0 Italy Sampdoria
2DF Christian Terlizzi (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) 22 November 1979 1 0 Italy Sampdoria
3MF Mauro Camoranesi (Euro 2008 qual. v. Scotland, 28 March) 4 October 1976 30 2 Italy Juventus
3MF Stefano Mauri (Euro 2008 qual. v. Scotland, 28 March) 8 January 1980 4 0 Italy Lazio
3MF Franco Semioli (Euro 2008 qual. v. Scotland, 28 March) 20 June 1980 2 0 Italy Chievo
3MF Alberto Aquilani (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) 7 July 1984 1 0 Italy Roma
3MF Gennaro Delvecchio (Euro 2008 qual. v. Georgia, 11 October) 25 March 1978 1 0 Italy Sampdoria
3MF Marco Marchionni (Euro 2008 qual. v. France, 6 September) 22 July 1980 3 0 Italy Juventus
3MF Cristian Brocchi (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) 30 January 1976 1 0 Italy Milan
3MF Angelo Palombo (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) 25 September 1981 2 0 Italy Sampdoria
3MF Simone Barone (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) 30 April 1978 16 1 Italy Torino
3MF Fabio Liverani (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) 29 April 1976 3 0 Italy Fiorentina
3MF Massimo Gobbi (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) 31 January 1980 1 0 Italy Fiorentina
3MF Stefano Morrone (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) 26 October 1978 0 0 Italy Livorno
4FW Luca Toni (Euro 2008 qual. v. Scotland, 28 March) 26 May 1977 27 12 Germany Bayern Munich
4FW Alberto Gilardino (Euro 2008 qual. v. Scotland, 28 March) 5 July 1982 23 9 Italy Milan
4FW Vincenzo Iaquinta (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) 21 November 1979 19 1 Italy Juventus
4FW Emiliano Bonazzoli (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) 20 January 1979 1 0 Italy Sampdoria
4FW David Di Michele (Euro 2008 qual. v. Georgia, 11 October) 6 January 1976 6 0 Italy Palermo
4FW Antonio Cassano (Euro 2008 qual. v. France, 6 September) 12 July 1982 10 3 Spain Real Madrid
4FW Mauro Esposito (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) 13 June 1979 6 0 Italy Roma
4FW Andrea Caracciolo (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) 18 September 1981 2 0 Italy Sampdoria

Previous squads

Notable players

Players are ordered by year of debut with national football team
1915
1920
1924
1926
1929
1930
1932
1935
1938
1942
1947
1949
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1967
  
1968
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1982
1986
1984
1985
1986
  
1988
1990
1991
1992
1995
1996
1997
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004

Most capped players

As of June 6, 2007, the players with the most caps for Italy are:

# Name Career Caps Goals
1 Paolo Maldini 1988–2002 126 7
2 Dino Zoff 1968–1982 112 0
3 Fabio Cannavaro 1997— 108 1
4 Giacinto Facchetti 1963–1977 94 3
5 Alessandro Del Piero 1995— 83 27
6 Franco Baresi 1982–1994 81 1
Giuseppe Bergomi 1982–1998 81 6
Marco Tardelli 1976–1985 81 6
9 Demetrio Albertini 1991–2002 79 3
10 Gaetano Scirea 1975–1986 78 2
Alessandro Nesta 1996– 78 0

Top goalscorers

As of June 6, 2007, the players with the most goals for Italy are:

# Player Career Goals (Caps) Goals per match
1 Luigi Riva 1965–1974 35 (42) 0.83
2 Giuseppe Meazza 1930–1939 33 (53) 0.62
3 Silvio Piola 1935–1952 30 (34) 0.88
4 Roberto Baggio 1988–2004 27 (56) 0.48
Alessandro Del Piero 1995— 27 (83) 0.33
6 Alessandro Altobelli 1980–1988 25 (61) 0.41
Adolfo Baloncieri 1920–1930 25 (47) 0.53
Filippo Inzaghi 1997— 25 (55) 0.45
9 Francesco Graziani 1975–1983 23 (64) 0.53
Christian Vieri 1997—2005 23 (49) 0.47

Colours

1910-1911
1911-1930
1930-1937
1937-1943
1945-1970
1970-

007FFF

Trivia

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Light blue was the colour of the royal house of the Kingdom of Italy. In its first two matches, the Italian national team wore white shirts with shorts from the club of each player; the azure shirts were introduced in the third match.
  2. ^ [1]. Some turmoil kept the players of Pro Vercelli, the best team of the league, out of the game. At the end of the match, the players received as a prize some cigarette packets thrown by the 4,000 spectators.[2] The Italian team (2-3-5): De Simoni; Varisco, Calì; Trerè, Fossati, Capello; Debernardi, Rizzi, Cevenini I, Lana, Boiocchi.[3]
  3. ^ "Match Report - 1994 FIFA World Cup USA (TM): Nigeria - Italy". FIFAworldcup.com. Retrieved 2006-07-25.
  4. ^ "Match Report - 1994 FIFA World Cup USA (TM): Italy - Spain". FIFAworldcup.com. Retrieved 2006-07-25.
  5. ^ "Match Report - 1994 FIFA World Cup USA (TM): Bulgaria - Italy". FIFAworldcup.com. Retrieved 2006-07-25.
  6. ^ "USA 1994". FIFAworldcup.com. Retrieved 2006-07-25.
  7. ^ See 2002 FIFA World Cup (match reports). Subsequent comments by Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni and some other public figures in Italy [4], coupled with more controversial refereeing decisions in South Korea's subsequent Quarter-final against Spain led to a conspiracy theory that South Korea were being unfairly favoured by officials. Even Sepp Blatter, FIFA president, recognized that several episodes of wrong or controversial decisions against the Azzurri had cumulated during the course of the tournament, including Totti's yellow card, even if he rejected any conspirancy against the Italian team.[5]. Referee Byron Moreno was suspended and removed by his federation a few years later, due to similar unfair decisions in other local matches.
  8. ^ There was some controversy as both Sweden and Denmark knew before their final match that a 2-2 draw between them would qualify both Scandinavian sides, leaving the Italians out, and that is exactly what transpired. Totti again found himself at the center of controversy for the Italian side after being suspended for three games for a spitting incident in the match against Denmark.
  9. ^ "Lippi dedicates win to Pessotto". BBC. 2006-06-30. Retrieved 2006-07-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Azzurri prominent in All Star Team". FIFAworldcup.com. 2006-07-07. Retrieved 2006-07-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Buffon collects Lev Yashin Award". FIFAworldcup.com. 2006-07-10. Retrieved 2006-07-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Buckley, Kevin (2006-05-21). "Lippi the latest to be sucked into crisis". Guardian. Retrieved 2006-07-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Lippi resigns as Italy head coach". BBC. 2006-07-12. Retrieved 2006-07-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Italy oust Brazil to take top spot". FIFA. 2006-02-14. Retrieved 2006-02-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Competitive games considered are those belonging to: Olympic Games 1912 - 1952, Coppa Internazionale 1927 - 1960, World Cup 1934 - 2006, European Nations Cup 1962 - 2004, U.S.A. Tournament 1976, Copa de Oro 1981, Torneo "Scania 100" 1991, U.S. Cup 1992 and France Tournament 1997.

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