Numerous selections on this list will demonstrate Italy’s solid defensive reputation, which appears to have been a successful strategy for them. With victories in the World Cup in 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006, only Brazil holds the record for the most football World Cup victories over the Azzurri. Thus, it should come as no surprise that there are many outstanding players in this country. Find the list of The Top 10 Italy Players of All Time.
The Top 10 Italy Players of All Time
Alessandro Del Piero
Silvio Piola, the legendary striker from the interwar era, holds the records for both goals (290) and appearances (705) and is the only Italian player to have scored more goals than Del Piero’s 346. But set the numbers aside. Del Piero’s exceptional technical abilities, his talent for spectacular goals, and his prowess with the free kick proved to be more important in making him one of his nation’s best attackers ever than his exceptional rate of return.
Del Piero scored six goals during Juve’s run to win the Champions League in 1996. He also assisted the Old Lady in winning six league crowns. Del Piero scored Italy’s second goal in a 2-0 semifinal victory over Germany in the 2006 World Cup. He later converted a penalty kick in the championship shootout against France. It was possibly the high point of his career. He starts our list of The Top 10 Italy Players of All Time.
Dino Zoff
Similar to a good wine, Zoff’s accomplishments improved with time. The legendary Italian goalkeeper became the oldest player in history to win a World Cup. He was 40 years old in 1982, also taking home the trophy for goalie of the tournament. After winning the 1968 European Championship, it was Zoff’s second major international honor. At the club level, he was equally successful. He took home six Scudetti, two Coppa Italias, and the UEFA Cup with Juventus.
One of the best goalkeepers to have ever put on gloves. Zoff was only surpassed by Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks in the rankings of the International Federation of Football History & Statistics for the greatest goalkeepers of the twenty-first century. In addition, he was chosen in 2004 by UEFA for the Jubilee Awards as Italy’s best player of the previous fifty years.
Andrea Pirlo
Among the greatest supporters of the deep-lying midfielder position in the history of the game. Pirlo exuded class and had an incredible sense of calm and poise while in control of the ball. His vision and skill to breach defenses or smash dipping free kicks over walls. Pirlo began his career as an attacking midfielder at Brescia, where he played with the legendary Roberto Baggio. However, it was his tenure with AC Milan that catapulted him into the upper echelons of European football.
At San Siro, they won two Champions League titles, two Serie A championships, four more league titles at Juventus, and a medal from the 2006 World Cup. Zbigniew Boniek, a legendary player for Juventus, summed up the midfield maestro’s skill with the ball best when he stated, “Passing the ball to Pirlo is like hiding it in a safe.”
Franco Baresi
At the age of 17, Baresi made his Milan debut. Throughout his 20-year career, he would remain at the club and win every major award available. Along with Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, and Mauro Tassotti, the center-back formed one of the finest defenses of all time, and he was an indispensable member of Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello’s winning teams of the 1990s. After leading the Rossoneri to back-to-back European Cup victories, Baresi finished second in the 1989 Ballon d’Or race behind teammate Marco van Basten. Baresi went on to win three consecutive Serie A titles between 1991 and 1994, out of a total of six in his career. Milan’s rock at the back helped them concede just 15 goals in the 1993–94 season.
Due to his unique combination of physical, technical, and mental skills, as well as his leadership and intelligence, the Italian is regarded as one of the greatest center-backs of all time, despite never having won any international honors—he came the closest when he missed a spot kick in the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil.
Francesco Totti
Totti, the Rome legend, never received the recognition his talent deserved, but he became a legend in the Eternal City by choosing to stick to only one team. In his prime, Totti was a goal-creator and scorer who could accomplish feats with the ball that others could only dream of; with 250 goals under his belt, the Roman finished his career in 2017 as the second-highest goal-scorer in Serie A history.
In addition, he played every game despite fitness concerns prior to the tournament and scored a vital penalty to defeat Australia in the round of 16. He ultimately finished as the tournament’s joint top assist provider on the four-level with Juan Roman Riquelme of Argentina.
Giuseppe Meazza
Meazza was so great that the most famous stadium in Italy was dedicated in his honor. Although the surrounding area may have given rise to the name San Siro, the official name of the stadium honors a double World Cup-winning star who played for both of Milan’s major clubs. Nevertheless, Meazza accomplished a lot more while wearing Inter’s blue and black uniform. Because of his small stature, Milan infamously rejected Meazza when he was a toddler, which proved to be a costly mistake.
The youngster who grew up playing with a rag ball on the streets of Lombard City was picked up by the Nerazzurri, and he went on to become one of the most prolific attackers in Serie A history, earning three titles and three Capocannoniere crowns. But Meazza’s performance in Azzurri blue was what made him a true legend. Along with Giovanni Ferrari and Eraldo Monzeglio, the striker is one of only three players to win two World Cups. He won the Golden Ball during the 1934 victory on home soil and led his nation to a successful defense four years later.
Gianni Rivera
Rivera, often known as the “Golden Boy,” rose to fame at an early age. At the age of just 17, the playmaker scored Milan’s first goal. It was a winner in a 4-3 triumph over Juventus—and never looked back. He went on to become one of the most recognizable players to ever don a number 10 shirt. The attacking midfielder’s exceptional natural talent quickly made him an important member of the San Siro team. He guided the Rossoneri to three Serie A titles and two European Cups, developing a close relationship with coach Nereo Rocco. The latter called him a “genius,” and took home the Ballon d’Or in 1969.
Rivera’s vision and death are legendary in the world of soccer, partly because of his accomplishments with the national team. At the age of seventeen, he made his senior Azzurri debut. He went on to play in four World Cups, scoring the winning goal in the renowned dramatic 1970 semi-final against Germany and winning the 1968 European Championship, though he tragically missed the Yugoslavia final due to an injury sustained in the semifinals.
Gianluigi Buffon
For good reason, Buffon’s name is indisputable when discussing the greatest goalie of all time. With the noteworthy exception of the Champions League, he has won nearly every major award since making his Parma debut in 1995 as an incredibly nimble adolescent. Juventus paid €52 million to acquire Buffon in 2001, making him the most expensive goalkeeper ever. However, that transfer proved to be well worth it, as Buffon went on to win ten league titles in Turin. It was a record 12 Serie A goalkeeper of the year accolades, and the league appearance record. Buffon’s incredible longevity—he’s currently at Parma in Serie B. He relied less on the explosive agility that used to mark him out and more on world-class positioning.
Paolo Maldini
During his entire 25-year playing career, Maldini—one of the best defenders of all time. He was a part of AC Milan’s illustrious period of glory. The exquisite Italian, a wandering, technically brilliant left-back who subsequently developed into an astute and composed center-back, helped the Rossoneri win 25 trophies, including five Champions League/European Cup titles and seven Serie A titles.
He also exhibited incredible endurance, playing at four World Cups till the age of 41. Despite retiring before the Azzurri’s 2006 victory and never taking home a major award with his nation. With 647 games, Maldini continues to hold the record for most outfield appearances in Serie A. He stood out for his reliance on timing and game reading as opposed to aggression and physicality. “If I have to make a tackle, then I’ve already made a mistake,” he famously once joked. He just misses out on top spot of The Top 10 Italy Players of All Time.
Roberto Baggio
One of the greatest football players of all time, Baggio was adored by Italian fans for his inventiveness, vision, unpredictability, and technical prowess. He was the quintessential Trenquartista. When the Buddhist superstar known as the “Divine Ponytail” moved from Fiorentina to Juventus in 1990. There were riots in the streets of Florence due to his talent. However, he went on to win the Ballon d’Or, as well as the Serie A, Coppa Italia, and UEFA Cup trophies, while he was in Turin.
The number of awards Baggio has received is not indicative of the caliber of the player. Only two Serie A championships were awarded to him during his career, and many people unfairly associate his international career with the crucial penalty he missed in the 1994 World Cup final—a match the Azzurri would not have reached in the first place if Baggio hadn’t shown such inventiveness. Even so, Baggio is still tied for fourth place among all Italian scorers, and the Italian FA made it clear how highly regarded he is by inducting him as the first-ever member of the Italian Hall of Fame in 2011. He tops our list of The Top 10 Italy Players of All Time.
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