Italy national football team

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Italy
Nickname	Azzurri (Blues)
Association	Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Roberto Donadoni (2006-)
Captain	Fabio Cannavaro
Most caps	Paolo Maldini (126)
Top scorer	Gigi Riva (35)
FIFA code	ITA
FIFA ranking	2
Highest FIFA ranking	1 (November 1993 February 2007)
Lowest FIFA ranking	16 (April 1998)
Elo ranking	3
Highest Elo ranking	1 (June 1934-March 1940 December 1940-November 1945 July 2006-August 2006)
Lowest Elo ranking	21 (November 1959)
First kit 　 Second kit
First international Italy 6 - 2 France (Milan, Italy; 15 May 1910)
Biggest win Italy 9 - 0 USA (Brentford, England; 2 August 1948)
Biggest defeat Hungary 7 - 1 Italy (Budapest, Hungary; 6 April 1924)
World Cup
Appearances	16 (First in 1934)
Best result	Winners, 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006
European Championship
Appearances	6 (First in 1968)
Best result	Winners, 1968

Olympic medal record
Men's Football
Gold	1936 Berlin	Team
Bronze	1928 Amsterdam	Team
Bronze	2004 Athens	Team

The Italian national football team (Nazionale italiana di Calcio) is the national association football team of Italy and is governed by the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio ("Italian Football Federation"). They are the current World Champions, having won the most recent FIFA World Cup, and holders of the Unofficial Football World Championship.

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), 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.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Origins and first two World Cups (1910–1938) 1.2 Post-World War II (1946–1966) 1.3 European champions and World Cup runners-up (1968–1976) 1.4 World Cup winners for the third time (1978–1982) 1.5 World Cup and European Championship runners-up (1984–2004) 1.6 2006 World Cup: Champions for the fourth time 1.7 After the World Cup 2 World Cup record 3 European Championship record 4 Honours 5 Coaches 6 Players 6.1 Current squad 6.2 Recent call-up 6.3 Previous squads 6.4 Notable past players 6.5 Most capped players 6.6 Top goalscorers 7 Trivia 8 See also 9 Notes 10 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Origins and first two World Cups (1910–1938)

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.

[edit] 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 F.C. (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 Do Ik was celebrated as the David who killed Goliath.[6]

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 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.

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.

[edit] 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 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 slowly 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 89th minute and scored the go-ahead 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 minute 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.

[edit] 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 entire 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 eventual 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 was 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 overtime.

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 spot 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 header 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 going perfect 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]

[edit] 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]

[edit] 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.

[edit] European Championship record

• 1960 — Did not enter
• 1964 — Did not qualify
• 1968 — Champions
• 1972 — Did not qualify
• 1976 — Did not qualify
• 1980 — Fourth place
• 1984 — Did not qualify
• 1988 — Semifinals
• 1992 — Did not qualify
• 1996 — Round 1
• 2000 — Runners-up
• 2004 — Round 1
• 2008 — (Qualifying Round in progress)

[edit] Honours

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

• FIFA World Cup: 4
  

1934, 1938, 1982, 2006

• European Championship: 1
  

1968

• Summer Olympics Gold medal: 1
  

1936

• Central European Champions: 2
  

1927-30, 1933-35

• World Military Cup : 8
  

1950, 1951, 1956, 1959, 1973, 1987, 1989, 1991

[edit] 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).

• Technical Commission (1910–1912)
• Vittorio Pozzo (1912)
• Technical Commission (1912–1924)
• Vittorio Pozzo (1924)
• Technical Commission (1924–1925)
• Augusto Rangone (1925–1928)
• Carlo Carcano (1928–1929)
• Vittorio Pozzo (1929–1948) — World Champions 1934, World Champions 1938
• Ferruccio Novo (1949–1950) — as Technical Commission Chairman
• Technical Commission (1951)
• Carlino Beretta (1952–1953)
• Technical Commission (1953–1959)
• Giuseppe Viani (1960)
• Giovanni Ferrari (1960–1961)
• Technical Commission (1962)
• Edmondo Fabbri (1962–1966)
• Technical Commission (1966–1967)
• Ferruccio Valcareggi (1967–1974) — European Champions 1968, Runners-Up World Cup 1970
• Fulvio Bernardini (1974–1975)
• Enzo Bearzot (1975–1986) — World Champions 1982
• Azeglio Vicini (1986–1991) — 3rd Place World Cup 1990
• Arrigo Sacchi (1991–1996) — Runners-Up World Cup 1994
• Cesare Maldini (1997–1998)
• Dino Zoff (1998–2000) — Runners-Up European Championships 2000
• Giovanni Trapattoni (2000–2004)
• Marcello Lippi (2004–2006) — World Champions 2006
• Roberto Donadoni (2006-current)

[edit] Players

[edit] Current squad

The following players named for Euro 2008 qualifier against Scotland on 28 March 2007 [11].

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

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Goals Club 1 GK Gianluigi Buffon 28 January 1978 73 0 Juventus 3 DF Max Tonetto 18 November 1974 0 0 Roma 4 MF Massimo Ambrosini 29 May 1977 23 0 Milan 5 DF Fabio Cannavaro (c) 13 September 1973 106 1 Real Madrid 6 DF Andrea Barzagli 8 May 1981 13 0 Palermo 7 FW Alessandro Del Piero 9 November 1974 81 27 Juventus 8 MF Gennaro Gattuso 9 January 1978 51 1 Milan 9 FW Luca Toni 26 May 1977 27 12 Fiorentina 10 MF Daniele De Rossi 24 July 1983 26 4 Roma 11 FW Alberto Gilardino 5 July 1982 23 9 Milan 12 GK Christian Abbiati 8 July 1977 4 0 Torino 14 MF Stefano Mauri 8 January 1980 4 0 Lazio 15 FW Fabio Quagliarella 31 October 1983 1 0 Sampdoria 16 MF Mauro Camoranesi 4 October 1976 30 2 Juventus 17 FW Antonio Di Natale 13 October 1977 9 2 Udinese 18 FW Tommaso Rocchi 19 September 1977 2 0 Lazio 19 DF Gianluca Zambrotta 19 February 1977 63 2 Barcelona 20 MF Simone Perrotta 17 September 1977 35 2 Roma 21 MF Andrea Pirlo 19 May 1979 36 5 Milan 22 DF Massimo Oddo 14 June 1976 26 1 Milan 23 DF Marco Materazzi 19 August 1973 36 2 Internazionale 24 GK Morgan de Sanctis 26 March 1977 2 0 Udinese

In 23 March, 2007, Roberto Donadoni has shorten the squad into 21.

[edit] 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 DoB/Age Caps Goals Club GK Marco Amelia 2 April 1982 3 0 Livorno (Euro 2008 qual. v. Scotland, 28 March) GK Flavio Roma 21 June 1974 3 0 Monaco (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) DF Manuel Pasqual 13 March 1982 2 0 Fiorentina (Euro 2008 qual. v. Scotland, 28 March) DF Daniele Bonera 31 May 1981 11 0 Milan (Euro 2008 qual. v. Scotland, 28 March) DF Alessandro Nesta 19 March 1976 78 0 Milan (Euro 2008 qual. v. Georgia, 11 October) DF Fabio Grosso 28 November 1977 25 2 Internazionale (Euro 2008 qual. v. Georgia, 11 October) DF Cristian Zaccardo 21 December 1981 16 1 Palermo (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) DF Dario Dainelli 9 June 1979 1 0 Fiorentina (Euro 2008 qual. v. France, 6 September) DF Giorgio Chiellini 14 August 1984 6 0 Juventus (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) DF Luciano Zauri 20 January 1978 5 0 Lazio (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) DF Cristian Zenoni 23 April 1977 2 0 Sampdoria (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) DF Giulio Falcone 31 May 1974 1 0 Sampdoria (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) DF Christian Terlizzi 22 November 1979 1 0 Sampdoria (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) DF Alessandro Gamberini 27 August 1981 0 0 Fiorentina (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) MF Franco Semioli 20 June 1980 2 0 Chievo (Euro 2008 qual. v. Scotland, 28 March) MF Alberto Aquilani 7 July 1984 1 0 Roma (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) MF Gennaro Del Vecchio 25 March 1978 1 0 Sampdoria (Euro 2008 qual. v. Georgia, 11 October) MF Marco Marchionni 22 July 1980 3 0 Juventus (Euro 2008 qual. v. France, 6 September) MF Cristian Brocchi 30 January 1976 1 0 Milan (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) MF Angelo Palombo 25 September 1981 2 0 Sampdoria (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) MF Simone Barone 30 April 1978 16 1 Torino (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) MF Fabio Liverani 29 April 1976 3 0 Fiorentina (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) MF Massimo Gobbi 31 January 1980 1 0 Fiorentina (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) MF Stefano Morrone 26 October 1978 0 0 Livorno (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) FW Vincenzo Iaquinta 21 November 1979 19 1 Udinese (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) FW Filippo Inzaghi 9 August 1973 53 23 Milan (Euro 2008 qual. v. Georgia, 11 October) FW Emiliano Bonazzoli 20 January 1979 1 0 Sampdoria (friendly v. Turkey, 15 November) FW David Di Michele 6 January 1976 6 0 Palermo (Euro 2008 qual. v. Georgia, 11 October) FW Antonio Cassano 12 July 1982 10 3 Real Madrid (Euro 2008 qual. v. France, 6 September) FW Mauro Esposito 13 June 1979 6 0 Cagliari (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) FW Cristiano Lucarelli 4 October 1975 3 1 Livorno (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August) FW Andrea Caracciolo 18 September 1981 2 0 Palermo (friendly v. Croatia, 16 August)

[edit] Previous squads

• 2006 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 2004 European Football Championship squads - Italy
• 2002 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 2000 European Football Championship squads - Italy
• 1998 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1996 European Football Championship squads - Italy
• 1994 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1990 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1988 European Football Championship squads - Italy
• 1986 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1982 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1980 European Football Championship squads - Italy
• 1978 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1974 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1970 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1966 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1962 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1954 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1950 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1938 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy
• 1934 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy

[edit] Notable past players

Players are ordered by year of debut with national football team

1915 Luigi Cevenini (MF) 1920 Virginio Rosetta (MF) 1924 Giampiero Combi (GK) Felice Levratto (FW) 1926 Attilio Ferraris (MF) 1929 Raimundo Orsi (FW) 1930 Giovanni Ferrari (MF) Giuseppe Meazza (MF) 1932 Luis Monti (MF) 1935 Silvio Piola (FW) 1938 Amedeo Biavati (FW) 1942 Valentino Mazzola (MF) 1947 Giampiero Boniperti (FW) 1949 Amedeo Amadei (FW) 1961 Enrico Albertosi (GK) Mario Corso (MF) 1962 Gianni Rivera (MF) 1963 Giacinto Facchetti (DF) Sandro Mazzola (MF)

1964 Armando Picchi (DF) 1965 Luigi Riva (FW) 1967 Roberto Boninsegna (FW) 1968 Dino Zoff (GK) 1971 Romeo Benetti (MF) Claudio Sala (MF) 1972 Fabio Capello (MF) Franco Causio (MF) Giorgio Chinaglia (FW) 1973 Paolo Pulici (FW) 1974 Giancarlo Antognoni (MF) 1975 Roberto Bettega (FW) Claudio Gentile (DF) Francesco Graziani (FW) Gaetano Scirea (DF) 1976 Marco Tardelli (MF) 1977 Paolo Rossi (FW) 1978 Antonio Cabrini (DF) Gabriele Oriali (MF) 1979 Fulvio Collovati (DF)

1980 Alessandro Altobelli (FW) Bruno Conti (MF) 1982 Franco Baresi (DF) Giuseppe Bergomi (DF) 1986 Roberto Donadoni (MF) 1984 Roberto Mancini (FW) 1985 Gianluca Vialli (FW) 1986 Walter Zenga (GK) 1988 Roberto Baggio (MF) Paolo Maldini (DF) 1990 Salvatore Schillaci (FW) 1991 Demetrio Albertini (MF) Dino Baggio (MF) Alessandro Costacurta (DF) Alberigo Evani (MF) Gianluca Pagliuca (GK) Gianfranco Zola (MF) 1992 Giuseppe Signori (FW) 1995 Angelo Peruzzi (GK) Fabrizio Ravanelli (FW) Francesco Toldo (GK) 1997 Christian Vieri (FW) 1999 Gianluca Zambrotta (DF) 2000 Gennaro Gattuso (MF) 2002 Andrea Pirlo (MF) 2003 Fabio Grosso (DF) 2004 Luca Toni (FW)

[edit] Most capped players

As of November 15, 2006, 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	113	0
3	Fabio Cannavaro	1997—	106	1
4	Giacinto Facchetti	1963–1977	94	3
5	Franco Baresi	1982–1994	81	1
	Giuseppe Bergomi	1982–1998	81	0
	Marco Tardelli	1976–1985	81	6
8	Alessandro Del Piero	1995—	80	27
9	Demetrio Albertini	1991–2002	79	2
10	Gaetano Scirea	1975–1986	78	2
	Alessandro Nesta	1996–	78	0

[edit] Top goalscorers

As of November 15, 2006, 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 (81)	0.34
6	Alessandro Altobelli	1980–1988	25 (61)	0.41
	Adolfo Baloncieri	1920–1930	25 (47)	0.53
8	Francesco Graziani	1975–1983	23 (64)	0.53
	Filippo Inzaghi	1997—	23 (53)	0.43
	Christian Vieri	1997—2005	23 (49)	0.47

[edit] Trivia

• List of teams whose balance with Italy is positive, taking into account only competitive games.^[15] Data are Italian victories-draws-defeats:[12]
  • Brazil 2-2-3
  • Croatia 0-1-2
  • France 3-4-4
  • Netherlands 1-2-2
  • North Korea 0-0-1
  • USSR 0-5-3
  • Uruguay 1-1-2

• The team's kit suppliers are currently Puma.

• Italy is the only international team to play in the two FIFA World Cup finals that ended in shootouts. In 1994, they lost to Brazil and most recently in 2006, they emerged victorious over France.

• Italy is the current Unofficial World Champions, after having beaten former champion Scotland in Euro 2008 qualifying competition. They are the first team since France in 1998 to hold both the official and unofficial titles at the same time.

[edit] See also

• Italian under-21 national team
• Battle of Highbury
• Battle of Santiago
• Game of the Century

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Italian Football Federation (Official news about the national team)
• Italy World Cup News
• RSSSF archive of international results 1910—
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
• RSSSF archive of coaches 1910—
• Planet World Cup archive of results in the World Cup
• Planet World Cup archive of squads in the World Cup
• Planet World Cup archive of results in the World Cup qualifiers
• Profile of the Italian national team on footballdatabase.com
• Forza Azzurri Statistics — A comprehensive Statistics archive
• Italian Calcio by Steve Amoia. History of the Azzurri and the Serie A. English language site.

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