Italy national football team 362466 225840493 2008-07-15T17:22:26Z 207.134.170.203 /* World Cup record */ {{Infobox National football team| | Name = Italian National Football Team | Badge = FIGC logo.svg | Badge_size = 125px | FIFA Trigramme = ITA | FIFA Rank = [[Image:Green Arrow Up.svg|10px]] 2 | FIFA max = 1 | FIFA max date = November 1993<br/>February 2007<br/>April 2007-June 2007 | FIFA min = 16 | FIFA min date = April 1998 | Elo Rank = 5 | Elo min = 21 | Elo min date = November 1959 | Elo max = 1 | Elo max date = June 1934-March 1940<br/>December 1940-November 1945<br/>July 2006-August 2006 | Nickname = ''<span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Azzurri</span>'' | Association = <span lang="it" xml:lang="it">''[[Italian Football Federation|Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio]]''</span><br/>(Italian Football Federation) | Confederation = [[UEFA]] ([[Europe]]) | Coach = {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Marcello Lippi]] | Captain = [[Fabio Cannavaro]] | Most caps = [[Paolo Maldini]] (126) | Top scorer = [[Luigi Riva]] (35) |pattern_la1= |pattern_b1= _ita08h |pattern_ra1= |leftarm1=0066bc |body1=FFFFFF |rightarm1=0066bc |shorts1=FFFFFF |socks1=0066bc |pattern_la2= |pattern_b2= |pattern_ra2= |leftarm2=FFFFFF |body2=FFFFFF |rightarm2=FFFFFF |shorts2=FFFFFF |socks2=FFFFFF | First game = {{fb|Italy|old}} 6 - 2 {{fb-rt|France}}<br/>([[Milan]], [[Italy]]; [[15 May]], [[1910]]) | Largest win = {{fb|Italy}} 9 - 0 {{fb-rt|United States|1912}}<br/>([[Brentford]], [[England]]; [[2 August]], [[1948]]) | Largest loss = {{Fb|Hungary|1867}} 7 - 1 {{fb-rt|Italy|old}}<br/>([[Budapest]], [[Hungary]]; [[6 April]], [[1924]]) | World cup apps = 16 | World cup first = 1934 | World cup best = Winners, [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]], [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]], [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]] | Regional name = [[UEFA European Football Championship|European Championship]] | Regional cup apps = 7 | Regional cup first = [[1968 UEFA European Football Championship|1968]] | Regional cup best = Winners, [[1968 UEFA European Football Championship|1968]] | Confederations cup apps = | Confederations cup first = | Confederations cup best = }} {{MedalTop}} {{MedalSport | Men's [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Football]]}} {{MedalGold | [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin]] | [[Football at the 1936 Summer Olympics|Team]]}} {{MedalBronze | [[1928 Summer Olympics|1928 Amsterdam]] | [[Football at the 1928 Summer Olympics|Team]]}} {{MedalBronze | [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens]] | [[Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics|Team]]}} {{MedalBottom}} The '''Italian national football team''' (''Nazionale italiana di calcio'') is controlled by the [[Italian Football Federation|Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC)]] and represents [[Italy]] in international [[Football (soccer)|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 having won four [[FIFA World Cup|World Cups]] ([[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]], [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]], [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]]), just one fewer than [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]]. To this tally they can add one [[UEFA European Football Championship|European championship]] ([[1968 UEFA European Football Championship|1968]]), two [[Central European International Cup]]s and one [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Olympic]] Gold Medal ([[Football at the 1936 Summer Olympics|1936]]). The traditional colour of the national team (as well as all Italian teams and athletes) is [[Azure (color)|azure]] blue<ref>Azure blue was the colour of the [[house of Savoy|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.</ref> (<span lang="it" xml:lang="it">''azzurro''</span>, in [[Italian language|Italian]]), due to the "Azzurro [[Savoia]]" (Savoy Blue), the colour traditionally linked to the dynasty which unified Italy in 1861. Therefore, national team members are nicknamed '''''Azzurri'''''. == History == === Origins and first two World Cups (1910&ndash;1938) === [[Image:WorldCup1934poster.jpg|120px|thumb|left|Poster advertising the [[1934 World Cup]].]] The team's first match was held in [[Milan]] on [[15 May]] [[1910]]; Italy defeated [[France national football team|France]] by a score of 6-2.<ref>[http://www.figc.it/english/storia/storia_completa.htm#1913 FIGC<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. 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.<ref>[http://www.figc.it/club_italia/html/mondiale_1910.htm FIGC - Club Italia<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Italian team (2-3-5): De Simoni; Varisco, Calì; Trerè, Fossati, Capello; Debernardi, Rizzi, Cevenini I, Lana, Boiocchi.<ref>http://download.repubblica.it/pdf/motori/supplemento_ottobre06/04.pdf</ref> 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 national football team|Uruguay]], a victory for 11-3 against [[Egypt national football team|Egypt]] secured third place in the competition. After declining to participate in the first World Cup ([[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]], in Uruguay), the Italian national team won two consecutive editions of the tournament in [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]] and [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], under the lead of coach [[Vittorio Pozzo]] and thanks to the genius of [[Giuseppe Meazza]], one of the best Italian players ever. Other stars of that era included [[Luis Monti]], [[Giovanni Ferrari]], [[Silvio Piola]] and [[Virginio Rosetta]] In the [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934 World Cup]], the host <span lang="it" xml:lang="it">''Azzurri''</span> defeated [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]] 2&ndash;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 national football team|Austria]]. Italy's predominance on international football in the 1930s was confirmed by the victory in [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938 World Cup]]. The Italian team beat [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]] 4&ndash;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&ndash;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.|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 FIFA World Cup|1950 World Cup]], partly due to the long and physically devastating boat trip to [[Brazil]] (air travel was discarded due to fear of another accident). In the World Cup finals of [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]] and the [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]] that followed, Italy again failed to progress past the first round, and did not even qualify for the [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958 World Cup]]. During the early 1960s, although Italian football clubs like [[A.C. Milan|AC Milan]] and [[Internazionale Milano F.C.|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 UEFA European Football Championship|1960]] (then known as the European Nations Cup), and was knocked out by the [[USSR national football team|USSR]] in the round of 16 (second round) of the [[1964 UEFA European Football Championship|1964 European Championship]]. Their participation in the [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966 World Cup]] is always remembered for their 0&ndash;1 defeat at the hands of [[North Korean national football team|North Korea]]. Despite being the tournament favourites, the <span lang="it" xml:lang="it">''Azzurri''</span>, whose 1966 squad was rich with talent including [[Gianni Rivera|Rivera]] and [[Giacomo Bulgarelli|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]].<ref>http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/p/cg/por_prk_1966.html</ref>. === European champions and World Cup runners-up (1968&ndash;1976) === In 1968, the <span lang="it" xml:lang="it">''Azzurri''</span> won their first major competition since the 1938 World Cup, defeating [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]] in Rome for the [[1968 UEFA European Football Championship|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 replayed a few days later. Italy won the replay 2-0 (with goals from [[Luigi Riva|Riva]] and [[Pietro Anastasi|Anastasi]]) to lift the trophy. Two years later, the defending European Champions reached the final of the [[1970 FIFA World Cup|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 national football team|Sweden]], [[Uruguay national football team|Uruguay]], and [[Israel national football team|Israel]]. The quarter-finals saw a transformed Italy prevail 4-1 over host [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] after trailing 0-1. Then came the semifinal between Italy and [[Germany national football team|West Germany]] which is remembered as one of the greatest games ever played. This match, won by Italy 4-3 after extra time, is known as the [[Game of the Century (football)|Game of the Century]], and a marker at the [[Estadio Azteca]] in Mexico City still commemorates it. Italy took a 1-0 lead through [[Roberto Boninsegna|Boninsegna]] in the 8th minute, leaving Germany to press forward for the rest of the game. The score remained unchanged until the very end when sweeper [[Karl-Heinz Schnellinger|Schnellinger]], then with Italy's [[A.C. Milan|AC Milan]], popped up unmarked in the penalty area to score in [[injury time]]. In extra time, [[Gerd Müller|Müller]] gave Germany the lead on 94' before defender [[Tarcisio Burgnich|Burgnich]] levelled the score with a rare international goal. On 104', [[Luigi Riva|Riva]] made it 3-2, only for [[Gerd Müller|Müller]] to equalize six minutes later with a glancing header. The TV cameras were still replaying this goal when [[Gianni Rivera|Rivera]] met a Boninsegna cross with a first-time shot past [[Sepp Maier]] for the winning goal in the 111th minute. 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 best remembered in Italian football history. In the two games against Mexico and West Germany, coach [[Ferruccio Valcareggi]] had Rivera replace [[Alessandro Mazzola|Mazzola]] in a planned second half substitution, which was called <span lang="it" xml:lang="it">''staffetta''</span> (meaning relay as in [[athletics (track and field)|athletics]]). This tactic was not repeated in the final, where Italy was defeated by [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]]. In the first half, Boninsegna answered [[Pelé]]'s 18th minute goal to level the scores. In the second half, Brazil's firepower was simply too much for a tired Italian side, with [[Jairzinho]], Gerson and [[Carlos Alberto Torres|Carlos Alberto]] each scoring. The final 4-1 result consecrated Brazil as ''tri-campeão'' (three-time champion). This generation of great Italian players, like Riva, Rivera, Mazzola and [[Giacinto Facchetti|Facchetti]], did not keep up the same level of performance at the next [[1972 UEFA European Football Championship|1972 European Championship]] where they did not reach the playoffs. In 1973 they achieved prestigious victories in friendly matches, beating Brazil once and England twice. In particular, Italy stormed [[Wembley Stadium (1924)|Wembley Stadium]], winning 1-0 with a goal by [[Fabio Capello]]. Despite these encouraging results, coach Valcareggi resigned after the Italian team's elimination in the first round of the [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974 World Cup]]. Italy was also eliminated at an early stage in [[1976 UEFA European Football Championship|1976 European Championship]]. === World Cup winners for the third time (1978&ndash;1982) === The [[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 eventual champions and host team [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]]. Second round games against [[Germany national football team|West Germany]], [[Austria national football team|Austria]] and [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]] led Italy to the third place final, where it was defeated by [[Brazil national football team|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 culprit for the defeat. Italy then hosted 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 national football team|Czechoslovakia]] in the third place match on penalties. After a scandal in [[Serie A]] where some National Team players such as Paolo Rossi were prosecuted and suspended for match fixing and illegal betting, the <span lang="it" xml:lang="it">''Azzurri''</span> arrived at the [[1982 FIFA World Cup]] amidst general scepticism and discomfort. Italy qualified for the second round after three uninspiring draws against [[Poland national football team|Poland]], [[Peru national football team|Peru]] and [[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon]]. Having been loudly criticized, the Italian team decided on a press black-out from then on, with only coach [[Enzo Bearzot]] and captain [[Dino Zoff]] appointed to speak to the press. Italy's strength finally showed in the second round group, a true [[Group of Death]] with [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] and [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] - the defending champions and the team favoured to dethrone them. In the opener, Italy prevailed 2-1 over [[Diego Maradona]]'s side after an ill-tempered battle in which Italy's defenders and midfielders proved their mastery in the rougher side of the game. Italy's goals, both excellent left-footed strikes, were scored by [[Marco Tardelli]] and [[Antonio Cabrini]]. After Brazil defeated Argentina 3-1, Italy needed to win in order to advance to the semifinals. Twice Italy went in the lead with Paolo Rossi goals, and twice Brazil came back. When [[Paulo Roberto Falcão]] scored to make it 2-2 Brazil would have been through on goal difference; but in the 74th minute Rossi poked home the winning goal in a crowded penalty area to send Italy to the semifinals after one of the all-time greatest games in World Cup history<ref>http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/p/cg/ita_bra_1982.html</ref>. In the wake of its brilliant second round performance, Italy easily dispatched Poland in the first semi-final with another two goals from Rossi. [[Image:Tardelli1982.jpg|thumb|280px|[[Marco Tardelli|Tardelli]]'s famous roar of joy after scoring against [[Germany national football team|West Germany]] in the [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982 World Cup]] final.]] In the final match, Italy met their traditional opponent [[Germany national football team|West Germany]], who had advanced thanks to a penalty shootout victory against France. The first half ended scoreless, after [[Antonio Cabrini|Cabrini]] missed a penalty awarded for a [[Hans-Peter Briegel]] foul on [[Bruno Conti]]. In the second half Paolo Rossi again scored the first goal, and while the Germans were pushing forward in search of an equaliser, [[Marco Tardelli|Tardelli]] and substitute [[Alessandro Altobelli]] finalised two perfect [[Football tactics and skills|contropiede]] counterattacks to make it 3-0. [[Paul Breitner]] smashed home West Germany's consolation goal seven minutes from the end, making him the second man after [[Pelé]] to score in two different World Cup finals. Tardelli's scream after his goal in the final is still remembered as the symbol of Italy's 1982 World Cup triumph. Paolo Rossi won the [[FIFA World Cup awards#Golden Shoes|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 <span lang="it" xml:lang="it">''Azzurri''</span> figured prominently on the world stage but did not win another tournament. Italy failed to qualify for the [[1984 UEFA European Football Championship|1984 European Championship]] and were knocked out in the Round of 16 of the [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986 World Cup]] by [[France national football team|France]]. 1988 saw them reach the semifinals of the [[1988 UEFA European Football Championship|European Championship]], where they were defeated 2-0 by the [[USSR national football team|USSR]]. It was the same year in which they lost to Zambia in the Olympic games. Italy hosted the World Cup for the second time in [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]]. The Italian attack featured talented forwards [[Salvatore Schillaci]] and a young [[Roberto Baggio]]. Despite being favourites<ref>[http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-worldhistory19821990dc&prov=reuters&type=lgns Yahoo! Sports - Sports News, Scores, Rumors, Fantasy Games, and more<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> to win and not conceding a goal in their first five matches, Italy lost in the semifinal to defending champion [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]], losing 4-3 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw after extra time. [[Salvatore Schillaci|Schillaci]]'s first half opener having been equalised in the second half by [[Claudio Caniggia]]'s header for Argentina. [[Aldo Serena]] missed the final penalty kick (with [[Roberto Donadoni]] also having his penalty saved by goalkeeper [[Sergio Goycochea]]). Italy went on to defeat [[England national football team|England]] 2-1 in the third place match, with [[Salvatore Schillaci|Schillaci]] scoring the winning goal on a penalty to become the tournament's top scorer with 6 goals. Italy then failed to qualify for the [[1992 UEFA European Football Championship|1992 European Championship]]. In the [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994 World Cup]], Italy started very slowly but reached the final. They lost the opening match against [[Republic of Ireland national football team|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 and one only of three games they have lost in regualar time since 1988 in either a Euro or World Cup (losing 2-1 to [[Czech Republic national football team| Czech Republic]] in the first round of Euro 1996 is the second one, with the 3-0 defeat to Holland in the Euro 2008 opener now the third). After a gritty 1-0 win against [[Norway national football team|Norway]] and a 1-1 draw with [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]], Italy advanced from [[1994 FIFA World Cup#Group E|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 national football team|Nigeria]], but Roberto Baggio came to the rescue with a splended equaliser in the 88th minute and a penalty in extra time to snatch the win.<ref> {{cite web |url=http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/pwc/mr_3091.html |title=Match Report - 1994 FIFA World Cup USA (TM): Nigeria - Italy |publisher=FIFAworldcup.com |accessdate=2006-07-25 }} </ref> Baggio scored another late goal against [[Spain national football team|Spain]] in the quarter-final to seal a 2-1 win and two beautifully taken goals against [[Bulgaria national football team|Bulgaria]] in the semi-final for another 2-1 win.<ref> {{cite web |url=http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/pwc/mr_3097.html |title=Match Report - 1994 FIFA World Cup USA (TM): Italy - Spain |publisher=FIFAworldcup.com |accessdate=2006-07-25 }} </ref><ref> {{cite web |url=http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/pwc/mr_3100.html |title=Match Report - 1994 FIFA World Cup USA (TM): Bulgaria - Italy |publisher=FIFAworldcup.com |accessdate=2006-07-25 }} </ref> In the final, Italy and [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] played 120 minutes of scoreless football, taking the match to [[penalty shootout (football)|penalty shootout]]. Italy lost the subsequent shootout 3-2 after Baggio missed the final penalty kick of the match, shooting over the crossbar.<ref> {{cite web |url=http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/p/pwc/1994.html |title=USA 1994 |publisher=FIFAworldcup.com |accessdate=2006-07-25 }} </ref> Italy did not progress beyond the group stage at the finals of [[Euro 96]]. [[Gianfranco Zola]] failed to convert a decisive penalty against Germany, who eventually won the tournament. Then, during the qualifying campaign for the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]], the <span lang="it" xml:lang="it">''Azzurri''</span> beat [[England national football team|England]] at [[Wembley Stadium (1924)|Wembley]] for the second time with Zola scoring the only goal. In the [[1998 FIFA World Cup|final tournament]], Italy found themselves in another critical shootout for the third World Cup in a row. The Italian side, where [[Alessandro Del Piero|Del Piero]] and Baggio renewed the controversial <span lang="it" xml:lang="it">''staffetta''</span> (relay) between Mazzola and Rivera from 1970, held the eventual World Champions and host team [[France national football team|France]] to a 0-0 draw after extra time in the quarterfinals, but lost 4-3 in the shootout. With two goals scored in this tournament, [[Roberto Baggio]] is still the only Italian player to have scored in three different [[FIFA World Cup]] editions. In the [[2000 UEFA European Football Championship|Euro 2000]], another shootout was this time to favour Italy, in the semifinal against the co-hosts the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]]. Italian goalkeeper [[Francesco Toldo]] saved one penalty during the match and two in 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 star [[Francesco Totti]] scored his penalty with a very brave [[Francesco Totti#Additional information|''cucchiaio'']] (spoon) chip. Italy finished the tournament as runners-up, unluckily losing the final 2&ndash;1 against France (to a [[golden goal]] in extra time) after conceding ''les Bleus''' equalizing goal just 30 seconds before the expected end of injury time (94'). After the defeat, coach [[Dino Zoff]] resigned in protest after being criticized by [[A.C. Milan]] president and politician [[Silvio Berlusconi]]. In the [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 World Cup]], Italy again had a difficult time. A comfortable 2-0 victory against [[Ecuador national football team|Ecuador]] with two [[Christian Vieri]] goals was followed by a 2-1 defeat to [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]]. A 1-1 draw with [[Mexico national football team|Mexico]] thanks to a goal from [[Alessandro Del Piero]] proved enough to advance to the knockout stages. However, co-host country [[South Korea national football team|South Korea]] knocked out Italy in the Round of 16, in a game full of controversial refereeing decisions. Two of which are in Fifa's top ten worst referee decisions of all time. A three-way tie in the group stage of the [[2004 UEFA European Football Championship|2004 European Championship]] left Italy as the "odd man out", and they failed to qualify for the quarterfinals after finishing behind [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]] and [[Sweden national football team|Sweden]] on the basis of number of goals scored in matches among the tied teams.<ref>There was some controversy as both Sweden and Denmark knew before their final match that a 2-2 draw between them would let both Scandinavian sides qualify at the Italians' expense, 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.</ref> The winning goal scored during [[stoppage time]] against [[Bulgaria national football team|Bulgaria]] by [[Antonio 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 FIFA World Cup|2006 World Cup]] hosted by Germany was accompanied by open pessimism<ref>[http://english.people.com.cn/200605/23/eng20060523_267753.html People's Daily Online - Scandal threatening to bury Italy's Cup dream<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> due to the controversy caused by the [[2006 Serie A scandal]]. These negative predictions were then refuted, as <span lang="it" xml:lang="it">''Azzurri''</span> eventually won their fourth [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]]. Italy won their opening game against [[Ghana national football team|Ghana]] 2-0, with goals from [[Andrea Pirlo]] (40') and substitute [[Vincenzo Iaquinta]] (83'). The team performance was judged the best among the opening games by FIFA president [[Sepp Blatter]]<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/12/AR2006061201171.html Pirlo Leads Italy Past Ghana at World Cup<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. The second match was a less convincing 1-1 draw with [[USA national football team|USA]], with [[Alberto Gilardino]]'s diving header equalized by a [[Cristian Zaccardo]] [[own goal]]. After the equalizer, midfielder [[Daniele De Rossi]] and the USA's Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope were sent off, leaving only nineteen men on the field for nearly the entirety of the second half, but the score remained unchanged despite a controversial decision when [[Gennaro Gattuso]]'s shot was deflected in but disallowed because of an offside. The same happened for the U.S. when Demarcus Beasley's goal was called offside. De Rossi was suspended for four matches for elbowing American player [[Brian McBride]] and could only return for the final match. Italy finished first in Group E with a 2-0 win against the [[Czech Republic national football team|Czech Republic]], with goals from defender [[Marco Materazzi]] (26') and striker [[Filippo Inzaghi]] (87'), advancing to the [[2006 FIFA World Cup#Round of 16|Round of 16]] in the [[2006 FIFA World Cup#knockout stages|knockout stages]], where they faced [[Australia national football team|Australia]]. In this match, Materazzi was [[2006 FIFA World Cup controversies#Italy vs. Australia .28Second round.29|controversially]] sent off early in the second half (53') after a two footed tackle on Australian midfielder [[Marco Bresciano]]. In stoppage time a penalty kick was awarded to the Italians after [[Fabio Grosso]] went to ground after making contact with Australian defender [[Lucas Neill]] who was laying on the ground. Francesco Totti converted it for a 1-0 win. In the quarterfinals Italy beat [[Ukraine national football team|Ukraine]] 3-0. [[Gianluca Zambrotta]] opened the scoring early (6') with a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area and [[Luca Toni]] added two more goals (59' and 69'). Manager [[Marcello Lippi]] dedicated the victory to former Italian international [[Gianluca Pessotto]], who was in the hospital recovering from an apparent suicide attempt.<ref> {{cite news |title=Lippi dedicates win to Pessotto |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/italy/5123318.stm |publisher=BBC |date=[[2006-06-30]] |accessdate=2006-07-25 }} </ref> In the semi-final, Italy beat host country [[Germany national football team|Germany]] 2-0 with the two goals coming in the last two minutes of extra time. After an exciting half hour of extra time during which [[Gilardino]] and [[Gianluca Zambrotta|Zambrotta]] struck the post and the crossbar respectively, [[Fabio Grosso|Grosso]] scored in the 119th minute after a disguised [[Andrea Pirlo|Pirlo]] pass found him open in the penalty area for a bending left-footed shot into the far corner past German goalkeeper [[Jens Lehmann]]'s dive. Substitute striker [[Alessandro Del Piero]] then sealed the victory by scoring with the last kick of the game at the end of a swift counterattack. [[Image:FIFA world cup 2006 - Rome circus maximus flag.jpg|thumb|250px|Within the crowd in the [[Circus Maximus]] in [[Rome]], after the Italian team scored against France]] The <span lang="it" xml:lang="it">''Azzurri''</span> won their fourth World Cup, defeating [[France national football team|France]] in [[Berlin]], on [[July 9]], 5-3 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw at the end of extra time. French captain [[Zinedine Zidane]] opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a chipped penalty kick, controversially awarded for a foul by Materazzi. Twelve minutes later, a powerful header by Materazzi from a corner kick by Pirlo brought Italy even. In the second half, a goal by Toni was disallowed for a very close offside call. At 110', Zidane was sent off after a head butt, after a verbal exchange with Materazzi; the two players were eventually fined by FIFA for this incident. Italy then won the penalty shoot-out 5-3, the crucial penalty being [[David Trézéguet]]'s attempt that hit the crossbar and stayed out. Italy scored all five attempts in a shootout for the first time ever (Pirlo, Materazzi, De Rossi, Del Piero and Grosso). Italy remain the only side to have played in the two [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] finals that have ended in shootouts; in 1994 and 2006. 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]], [[Gianluca Zambrotta|Zambrotta]], [[Andrea Pirlo|Pirlo]], [[Gennaro Gattuso]], [[Francesco Totti|Totti]] and [[Luca Toni|Toni]] - were named to the 23-man tournament [[FIFA World Cup awards#All-Star Team|All Star Team]].<ref> {{cite news |title=Azzurri prominent in All Star Team |url=http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/060707/1/8n9b.html |publisher=FIFAworldcup.com |date=[[2006-07-07]] |accessdate=2006-07-25 }} </ref> Buffon also won the [[FIFA World Cup awards#Yashin Award|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 kick, and remained unbeaten for 460 consecutive minutes.<ref> More than half the team admitted that their hardest game of the campaign was the game against Australia in the round of 16. {{cite news |title=Buffon collects Lev Yashin Award |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/italy/5123318.stm |publisher=FIFAworldcup.com |date=[[2006-07-10]] |accessdate=2006-07-25 }} </ref> In honour of Italy winning the [[FIFA World Cup]] for a fourth time, all of the World Cup Squad were awarded the Italian Order of Merit of [[Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI]] === After the World Cup === Days after the Italian triumph in the World Cup, Lippi announced his resignation.<ref> {{cite news |title=Lippi the latest to be sucked into crisis |url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1779716,00.html |first=Kevin |last=Buckley |publisher=Guardian |date=[[2006-05-21]] |accessdate=2006-07-25 }}</ref>1994 World Cup star [[Roberto Donadoni]] was announced the new coach of the ''Azzurri'' on [[July 13]]. Italy played in the [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Group B]], along with [[France national football team|France]]. Italy won the group, with France being the runner-up.<ref> {{cite news |title=Lippi resigns as Italy head coach |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/italy/5165406.stm |publisher=BBC |date=[[2006-07-12]] |accessdate=2006-07-25 }} </ref> On [[February 14]], [[2007]], [[FIFA]] ranked Italy 1st in the [[FIFA World Rankings]], with a total of 1488 points, 37 points ahead of second ranked Argentina. This moved them up one from their previous rank, 2nd. The ''Azzurri'' had not received such an honour since 1993.<ref> {{cite news |title=Italy oust Brazil to take top spot |url=http://www.fifa.com/en/mens/statistics/index/0,2548,131847,00.html?articleid=131847 |publisher=FIFA |date=[[2006-02-14]] |accessdate=2006-02-14 }} </ref> In [[Euro 2008]], the ''Azzuri'' got off to a bad start, losing 3-0 to the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]]. The following game against [[Romania national football team|Romania]] ended with 1-1, with a goal by [[Christian Panucci]] that came only a minute after Romania's [[Adrian Mutu]] capitalized on a mistake by [[Gianluca Zambrotta]] to give Romania the lead. The result was preserved by [[Gianluigi Buffon]], saving a penalty kick by Mutu.<br/>The final game against France, a rematch of the 2006 World Cup Final, was won with a 2-0 victory, scoring on a penalty by [[Andrea Pirlo]] and a free kick by [[Daniele De Rossi]]. Romania, entering the day a point ahead of the Italians in Group C, lost to the Netherlands 2-0, allowing Italy to pass into the quarterfinals against eventual champion Spain, where they lost 2-4 in penalties. Within a week after the game, [[Roberto Donadoni]]'s contract was terminated and [[Marcello Lippi]] was rehired as coach.<ref name="Lippireturns">{{cite web |url=http://eurosport.yahoo.com/26062008/58/euro-2008-lippi-returns-manage-italy.html |title=Euro 2008 - Lippi returns to manage Italy |accessdate=2008-06-28 |publisher=[[Eurosport]] |date=2008-06-26 }}</ref> == Tournament records == === World Cup record === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !Year !Round !Position !GP !W !D* !L !GS !GA |- |{{flagicon|Uruguay}} [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]] ||''Did Not Enter''||-||-||-||-||-||-||- |- bgcolor=gold |style="border: 3px solid red"|{{flagicon|Italy|old}} [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]] ||bgcolor=gold|'''Champions'''||'''1'''||5||4||1||0||12||3 |- bgcolor=gold |{{flagicon|France}} [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]] ||'''Champions'''||'''1'''||4||4||0||0||11||5 |- |{{flagicon|Brazil}} [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]] ||Round 1||7||2||1||0||1||4||3 |- |{{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]] ||Round 1||10||3||1||0||2||6||7 |- |{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]] ||''Did Not Qualify''||-||-||-||-||-||-||- |- |{{flagicon|Chile}} [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]] ||Round 1||9||3||1||1||1||3||2 |- |{{flagicon|England}} [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]]||Round 1||9||3||1||0||2||2||2 |- |- bgcolor=#C0C0C0 |{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]]||Final||'''2'''||6||3||2||1||10||8 |- |{{flagicon|West Germany}} [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]]||Round 1||10||3||1||1||1||5||4 |- |{{flagicon|Argentina|alt}} [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]]||Fourth place||'''4'''||7||4||1||2||9||6 |- bgcolor=gold |{{flagicon|Spain}} [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]]||'''Champions'''||'''1'''||7||4||3||0||12||6 |- |{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]||Round 2||12||4||1||2||1||5||6 |- |- bgcolor=#CD7F32 |style="border: 3px solid red"|{{flagicon|Italy}} [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]]||Third place||'''3'''||7||6||1||0||10||2 |- |- bgcolor=#C0C0C0 |{{flagicon|United States}} [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]||Final||'''2'''||7||4||2||1||8||5 |- |{{flagicon|France}} [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]]||Quarter-finals||5||5||3||2||0||8||3 |- |{{flagicon|South Korea}}{{flagicon|Japan}} [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]||Round 2||15||4||1||1||2||5||5 |- bgcolor=gold |{{flagicon|Germany}} [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]]||'''Champions'''||'''1'''||7||5||2||0||12||2 |- |'''Total'''||16/18||'''4 Titles'''||77||44||19||14||122||69 |} :''*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on [[penalty shootout (football)|penalty kicks]].'' :''**Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.'' === European Championship record === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !Year !Round !Position !GP !W !D* !L !GS !GA |- |{{flagicon|France}} [[1960 UEFA European Football Championship|1960]]||''Did not Enter''||-||-||-||-||-||-||- |- |{{flagicon|Spain|1939}} [[1964 UEFA European Football Championship|1964]]||''Did not Qualify''||-||-||-||-||-||-||- |- |- bgcolor=gold |style="border: 3px solid red"|{{flagicon|Italy}} [[1968 UEFA European Football Championship|1968]]||'''Champions'''||'''1'''||3||1||2||0||3||1 |- |{{flagicon|Belgium}} [[1972 UEFA European Football Championship|1972]]||''Did not Qualify''||-||-||-||-||-||-||- |- |{{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} [[1976 UEFA European Football Championship|1976]]||''Did not Qualify''||-||-||-||-||-||-||- |- |style="border: 3px solid red"|{{flagicon|Italy}} [[1980 UEFA European Football Championship|1980]]||Fourth place||'''4'''||4||1||3||0||2||1 |- |{{flagicon|France}} [[1984 UEFA European Football Championship|1984]]||''Did not Qualify''||-||-||-||-||-||-||- |- |{{flagicon|West Germany}} [[1988 UEFA European Football Championship|1988]]||Semi-finals||'''4'''||4||2||1||1||4||3 |- |{{flagicon|Sweden}} [[1992 UEFA European Football Championship|1992]]||''Did not Qualify''||-||-||-||-||-||-||- |- |{{flagicon|England}} [[1996 UEFA European Football Championship|1996]]||Round 1||10||3||1||1||1||3||3 |- |- bgcolor=#C0C0C0 |{{flagicon|Belgium}}{{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[2000 UEFA European Football Championship|2000]]||Final||'''2'''||6||4||1||1||9||4 |- |{{flagicon|Portugal}} [[2004 UEFA European Football Championship|2004]]||Round 1||9||3||1||2||0||3||2 |- |{{flagicon|Austria}}{{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship|2008]]||Quarter-finals||5||4||1||2||1||3||4 |- ||'''Total'''||7/13||'''1 title'''||27||11||12||4||27||18 |} :''*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on [[penalty shootout (football)|penalty kicks]].'' :''**Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.'' === Honours === :''This is a list of honours for all of the senior Italian national teams, including Olympic teams'' *'''[[FIFA World Cup]]''' :* '''Winner (4):''' [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]], [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]], [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]] :* '''Runner-up''' (2): [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]], [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]] :* Third Place (1): [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]] :* ''Fourth Place'' (1): [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]] *'''[[UEFA European Football Championship|UEFA European Championship]]''' :* '''Winner (1):''' [[1968 UEFA European Football Championship|1968]] :* '''Runner-up''' (1): [[2000 UEFA European Football Championship|2000]] *'''[[Football at the Summer Olympics]] :* '''Gold medal (1):''' [[Football at the 1936 Summer Olympics|1936]] :* Bronze Medal (2): [[Football at the 1928 Summer Olympics|1928]], [[Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004]] *'''[[Laureus World Sports Award for Team of the Year]]''': '''2007''' == 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&ndash;1912) * [[Vittorio Pozzo]] (1912) * Technical Commission (1912&ndash;1924) * [[Vittorio Pozzo]] (1924) * Technical Commission (1924&ndash;1925) * Augusto Rangone (1925&ndash;1928) * [[Carlo Carcano]] (1928&ndash;1929) * [[Vittorio Pozzo]] (1929&ndash;1948) &mdash; '''World Champions 1934, World Champions 1938''' * [[Ferruccio Novo]] (1949&ndash;1950) &mdash; as ''Technical Commission Chairman'' * Technical Commission (1951) * Carlino Beretta (1952&ndash;1953) * Technical Commission (1953&ndash;1959) * [[Giuseppe Viani]] (1960) * [[Giovanni Ferrari]] (1960&ndash;1961) * [[Giovanni Ferrari]] and [[Paolo Mazza]] (1962) * [[Edmondo Fabbri]] (1962&ndash;1966) * [[Helenio Herrera]] and [[Ferruccio Valcareggi]] (1966&ndash;1967) * [[Ferruccio Valcareggi]] (1967&ndash;1974) &mdash; '''European Champions 1968''', ''Runners-Up World Cup 1970'' * [[Fulvio Bernardini]] (1974&ndash;1975) * [[Enzo Bearzot]] (1975&ndash;1986) &mdash; '''World Champions 1982'''&mdash; ''4th Place World Cup 1978'' * [[Azeglio Vicini]] (1986&ndash;1991) &mdash; ''3rd Place World Cup 1990'' * [[Arrigo Sacchi]] (1991&ndash;1996) &mdash; ''Runners-Up World Cup 1994'' * [[Cesare Maldini]] (1997&ndash;1998) * [[Dino Zoff]] (1998&ndash;2000) &mdash; ''Runners-Up European Championships 2000'' * [[Giovanni Trapattoni]] (2000&ndash;2004) * [[Marcello Lippi]] (2004&ndash;2006) &mdash; '''World Champions 2006''' * [[Roberto Donadoni]] (2006&ndash;2008) * [[Marcello Lippi]] 2008&ndash; ==[[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification]]== {{2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 8 | expanded = yes | fixtures = yes | tiebreakers = <!-- "yes", to display the tiebreaking notes --> }} == Players == === Current squad === The following 23 players named for [[UEFA Euro 2008|Euro 2008]]. ''Caps and goals as of [[June 22]], [[2008]].'' {| class="wikitable" |- !Number !Name !DOB !Club !Caps (goals) !Debut |- !colspan=6|Goalkeepers |- | align=center| 1 || [[Gianluigi Buffon]] || [[January 28]] [[1978]] (age 30)|| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Juventus F.C.|Juventus]] ||align=center| 86 (0) || v [[Russia national football team|Russia]], [[29 October]] [[1997]] |- | align=center| 14 || [[Marco Amelia]] || [[April 2]] [[1982]] (age 26)|| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[U.S. Città di Palermo|Palermo]] ||align=center| 6 (0) || v [[Ivory Coast national football team|Ivory Coast]], [[16 November]] [[2005]] |- | align=center| 17 || [[Morgan De Sanctis]] || [[March 26]] [[1977]] (age 31)|| {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Sevilla FC|Sevilla]] ||align=center| 2 (0) || v [[Iceland national football team|Iceland]], [[30 March]] [[2005]] |- !colspan=6|Defenders |- | align=center| 2 || [[Christian Panucci]] || [[April 12]] [[1973]] (age 35)|| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[A.S. Roma|Roma]] ||align=center| 57 (4) || v [[Slovenia national football team|Slovenia]], [[7 September]] [[1994]] |- | align=center| 3 || [[Fabio Grosso]] || [[November 28]] [[1977]] (age 30)|| {{flagicon|France}} [[Olympique Lyonnais|Lyon]] ||align=center| 35 (3) || v [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]], [[30 April]] [[2003]] |- | align=center| 4 || [[Giorgio Chiellini]] || [[August 14]] [[1984]] (age 23)|| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Juventus F.C.|Juventus]] ||align=center| 13 (1) || v [[Finland national football team|Finland]], [[17 November]] [[2004]] |- | align=center| 5 || [[Alessandro Gamberini]] || [[August 27]] [[1981]] (age 26)|| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[ACF Fiorentina|Fiorentina]] ||align=center| 2 (0) || v [[South Africa national football team|South Africa]], [[17 October]] [[2007]] |- | align=center| 6 || [[Andrea Barzagli]] || [[May 8]] [[1981]] (age 27) || {{flagicon|Germany}} [[VfL Wolfsburg|Wolfsburg]] ||align=center| 23 (0) || v [[Finland national football team|Finland]], [[17 November]] [[2004]] |- | align=center| 19 || [[Gianluca Zambrotta]] || [[February 19]] [[1977]] (age 31) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[AC Milan|Milan]] ||align=center| 75 (2) || v [[Norway national football team|Norway]], [[10 February]] [[1999]] |- | align=center| 23 || [[Marco Materazzi]] || [[August 19]] [[1973]] (age 34) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Internazionale Milano F.C.|Inter]] ||align=center| 41 (2) || v [[South Africa national football team|South Africa]], [[25 April]] [[2001]] |- !colspan=6|Midfielders |- | align=center| 8 || [[Gennaro Gattuso]] || [[January 9]] [[1978]] (age 30) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[AC Milan|Milan]] ||align=center| 60 (1) || v [[Sweden national football team|Sweden]], [[23 February]] [[2000]] |- | align=center| 10 || [[Daniele De Rossi]] || [[July 24]] [[1983]] (age 24) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[A.S. Roma|Roma]] ||align=center| 36 (5) || v [[Norway national football team|Norway]], [[4 September]] [[2004]] |- | align=center| 13 || [[Massimo Ambrosini]] || [[May 29]] [[1977]] (age 31) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[AC Milan|Milan]] ||align=center| 35 (0) || v [[Croatia national football team|Croatia]], [[28 April]] [[1999]] |- | align=center| 16 || [[Mauro Camoranesi]] || [[October 4]] [[1976]] (age 31) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Juventus F.C.|Juventus]] ||align=center| 39 (4) || v [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]], [[12 February]] [[2003]] |- | align=center| 20 || [[Simone Perrotta]] || [[September 17]] [[1977]] (age 30) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[A.S. Roma|Roma]] ||align=center| 44 (2) || v [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]], [[20 November]] [[2002]] |- | align=center| 21 || [[Andrea Pirlo]] || [[May 19]] [[1979]] (age 29) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[AC Milan|Milan]] ||align=center| 49 (7) || v [[Azerbaijan national football team|Azerbaijan]], [[7 September]] [[2002]] |- | align=center| 22 || [[Alberto Aquilani]] || [[July 7]] [[1984]] (age 24) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[A.S. Roma|Roma]] ||align=center|7 (0) || v [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]], [[15 November]] [[2006]] |- !colspan=6|Strikers |- | align=center| 7 || [[Alessandro Del Piero]] || [[November 9]] [[1974]] (age 33) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Juventus football club|Juventus]] ||align=center|89 (27) || v [[Estonia national football team|Estonia]], [[25 March]] [[1995]] |- | align=center| 9 || [[Luca Toni]] || [[May 26]] [[1977]] (age 31) || {{flagicon|Germany}} [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]] ||align=center|38 (15) || v [[Iceland national football team|Iceland]], [[18 August]] [[2004]] |- | align=center| 11 || [[Antonio Di Natale]] || [[October 13]] [[1977]] (age 30) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Udinese Calcio|Udinese]] ||align=center|20 (7) || v [[Turkey national football team|Turkey]], [[20 November]] [[2002]] |- | align=center| 12 || [[Marco Borriello]] || [[June 18]] [[1982]] (age 26) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[A.C. Milan|Milan]] ||align=center|3 (0) || v [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]], [[6 February]] [[2008]] |- | align=center| 15 || [[Fabio Quagliarella]] || [[January 31]] [[1983]] (age 25) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Udinese Calcio|Udinese]] ||align=center|9 (3) || v [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]], [[29 March]] [[2007]] |- | align=center| 18 || [[Antonio Cassano]] || [[July 12]] [[1982]] (age 26) || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[U.C. Sampdoria|Sampdoria]] ||align=center|15 (3) || v [[Poland national football team|Poland]], [[12 November]] [[2003]] |- |} === Recent call-up === The following players have all been called up to the Italy squad during the past season. Bracket shows last call-up time. {{nat fs g start}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=GK|name=[[Gianluca Curci]]|age=[[12 June]] [[1985]]|caps=0|goals=0|club=[[A.C. Siena|Siena]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>[[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2008 qual.]] v. [[Faroe Islands national football team|Faroe Islands]], [[21 November]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=GK|name=[[Christian Abbiati]]|age=[[8 July]] [[1977]]|caps=4|goals=0|club=[[AC Milan|Milan]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>[[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2008 qual.]] v. [[Ukraine national football team|Ukraine]], [[12 September]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=[[Massimo Oddo]]|age=[[14 June]] [[1976]]|caps=34|goals=1|club=[[AC Milan|Milan]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[Spain national football team|Spain]], [[26 March]], [[2008]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=[[Marco Cassetti]]|age=[[29 May]] [[1977]]|caps=3|goals=0|club=[[A.S. Roma|Roma]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]], [[6 February]], [[2008]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=[[Cristian Zaccardo]]|age=[[21 December]] [[1981]]|caps=17|goals=1|club=[[VfL Wolfsburg|Wolfsburg]]|clubnat=Germany|other=<small>Friendly match v, [[South Africa national football team|S. Africa]], [[17 October]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=[[Giandomenico Mesto]]|age=[[25 May]] [[1982]]|caps=3|goals=0|club=[[Genoa CFC|Genoa]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[South Africa national football team|S. Africa]], [[17 October]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=[[Daniele Bonera]]|age=[[31 May]] [[1981]]|caps=13|goals=0|club=[[AC Milan|Milan]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>[[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2008 qual.]] v. [[Faroe Islands national football team|Faroe Islands]], [[21 November]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=[[Fabio Cannavaro]]|age=[[13 September]] [[1973]]|caps=116|goals=2|club=[[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]]|clubnat=Spain|other=<small>[[UEFA Euro 2008|Euro 2008]] squad</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=[[Paolo Cannavaro]]|age=[[26 June]] [[1981]] |caps=0|goals=0|club=[[S.S.C. Napoli|Napoli]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[South Africa national football team|S. Africa]], [[17 October]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=DF|name=[[Andrea Dossena]]|age=[[11 September]] [[1981]] |caps=1|goals=0|club=[[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]|clubnat=England|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[South Africa national football team|S. Africa]], [[17 October]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=MF|name=[[Angelo Palombo]]|age=[[25 September]] [[1981]]|caps=4|goals=0|club=[[U.C. Sampdoria|Sampdoria]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[South Africa national football team|S. Africa]], [[17 October]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=MF|name=[[Antonio Nocerino]]|age=[[9 April]] [[1985]]|caps=1|goals=0|club=[[U.S. Città di Palermo|Palermo]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[South Africa national football team|S. Africa]], [[17 October]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=MF|name=[[Riccardo Montolivo]]|age=[[18 January]] [[1985]]|caps=1|goals=0|club=[[ACF Fiorentina|Fiorentina]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>[[UEFA Euro 2008|Euro 2008]] provisional squad</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=MF|name=[[Pasquale Foggia]]|age=[[3 June]] [[1983]]|caps=2|goals=0|club=[[Cagliari Calcio|Cagliari]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[South Africa national football team|S. Africa]], [[17 October]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=MF|name=[[Stefano Mauri]]|age=[[8 January]] [[1980]]|caps=6|goals=0|club=[[S.S. Lazio|Lazio]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[South Africa national football team|S. Africa]], [[17 October]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=MF|name=[[Franco Semioli]]|age=[[20 June]] [[1980]]|caps=3|goals=0|club=[[ACF Fiorentina|Fiorentina]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]], [[6 February]], [[2008]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=FW|name=[[Alessandro Rosina]]|age=[[31 January]] [[1984]]|caps=1|goals=0|club=[[Torino F.C.|Torino]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[South Africa national football team|S. Africa]], [[17 October]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=FW|name=[[Raffaele Palladino]]|age=[[17 April]] [[1984]]|caps=2|goals=0|club=[[Genoa CFC|Genoa]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[Portugal national football team|Portugal]], [[6 February]], [[2008]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=FW|name=[[Vincenzo Iaquinta]]|age=[[21 November]] [[1979]]|caps=23|goals=1|club=[[Juventus F.C.|Juventus]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>Friendly match v. [[Spain national football team|Spain]], [[26 March]], [[2008]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=FW|name=[[Alberto Gilardino]]|age=[[5 July]] [[1982]]|caps=25|goals=9|club=[[ACF Fiorentina|Fiorentina]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>[[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2008 qual.]] v. [[Faroe Islands national football team|Faroe Islands]], [[21 November]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=FW|name=[[Cristiano Lucarelli]]|age=[[4 October]] [[1975]]|caps=6|goals=3|club=[[Parma F.C.|Parma]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>[[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2008 qual.]] v. [[Faroe Islands national football team|Faroe Islands]], [[21 November]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs g player|no=|pos=FW|name=[[Filippo Inzaghi]]|age=[[9 August]] [[1973]]|caps=57|goals=25|club=[[A.C. Milan|Milan]]|clubnat=Italy|other=<small>[[2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 2008 qual.]] v. [[Ukraine national football team|Ukraine]], [[12 September]], [[2007]]</small>}} {{nat fs end}} === Previous squads === * [[2006 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|2006 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[UEFA Euro 2004 squads#Italy|UEFA Euro 2004 squads - Italy]] * [[2002 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|2002 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[UEFA Euro 2000 squads#Italy|UEFA Euro 2000 squads - Italy]] * [[1998 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1998 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[UEFA Euro 1996 squads#Italy|UEFA Euro 1996 squads - Italy]] * [[1994 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1994 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[1990 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1990 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[UEFA Euro 1988 squads#Italy|UEFA Euro 1988 squads - Italy]] * [[1986 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1986 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[1982 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1982 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[UEFA Euro 1980 squads#Italy|UEFA Euro 1980 squads - Italy]] * [[1978 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1978 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[1974 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1974 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[1970 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1970 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[UEFA Euro 1968 squads#Italy|UEFA Euro 1968 squads - Italy]] * [[1966 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1966 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[1962 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1962 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[1954 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1954 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[1950 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1950 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[1938 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1938 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] * [[1934 FIFA World Cup squads#Italy|1934 FIFA World Cup squads - Italy]] === Notable players === <!--this should be ordered by year of debut, see [[WP:WikiProject Football/National teams]]--> :''Players are ordered by year of debut with national football team {| |valign="top"| ;1915 * [[Luigi Cevenini]] (MF) ;1920 * [[Virginio Rosetta]] (DF) ;1924 * [[Giampiero Combi]] (GK) * [[Felice Levratto]] (FW) ;1926 * [[Attilio Ferraris]] (MF) ;1929 * [[Raimundo Orsi]] (FW) ;1930 * [[Giovanni Ferrari]] (MF) * [[Giuseppe Meazza]] (FW) ;1932 * [[Luis Monti]] (MF) ;1935 * [[Silvio Piola]] (FW) ;1938 * [[Amedeo Biavati]] (FW) ;1942 * [[Valentino Mazzola]] (MF) ;1947 * [[Giampiero Boniperti]] (FW) ;1949 * [[Amedeo Amadei]] (FW) |width="50"|&nbsp; |valign="top"| ;1961 * [[Enrico Albertosi]] (GK) * [[Mario Corso]] (MF) ;1962 * [[Gianni Rivera]] (MF) ;1963 * [[Giacinto Facchetti]] (DF) * [[Sandro Mazzola]] (FW) ;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) |width="50"|&nbsp; |valign="top"| ;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) * [[Giuseppe Giannini]] (MF) ;1984 * [[Roberto Mancini]] (FW) ;1985 * [[Gianluca Vialli]] (FW) ;1986 * [[Walter Zenga]] (GK) ;1987 * [[Ciro Ferrara]] (DF) ;1988 * [[Roberto Baggio]] (FW) * [[Paolo Maldini]] (DF) ;1990 * [[Salvatore Schillaci]] (FW) ;1991 * [[Demetrio Albertini]] (MF) * [[Dino Baggio]] (MF) * [[Pierluigi Casiraghi]] (FW) * [[Alessandro Costacurta]] (DF) * [[Gianluca Pagliuca]] (GK) * [[Gianfranco Zola]] (MF) |width="50"|&nbsp; |valign="top"| ;1994 * [[Christian Panucci]] (DF) ;1995 * [[Alessandro Del Piero]] (FW) * [[Angelo Peruzzi]] (GK) * [[Francesco Toldo]] (GK) ;1996 * [[Alessandro Nesta]] (DF) ;1997 * [[Gianluigi Buffon]] (GK) * [[Fabio Cannavaro]] (DF) * [[Filippo Inzaghi]] (FW) * [[Christian Vieri]] (FW) ;1998 * [[Francesco Totti]] (FW) ;1999 * [[Gianluca Zambrotta]] (DF) ;2000 * [[Gennaro Gattuso]] (MF) ;2001 * [[Marco Materazzi]] (DF) ;2002 * [[Simone Perrotta]] (MF) * [[Andrea Pirlo]] (MF) ;2003 * [[Mauro Camoranesi]] (MF) * [[Antonio Cassano]] (FW) * [[Fabio Grosso]] (DF) ;2004 * [[Daniele De Rossi]] (MF) * [[Alberto Gilardino]] (FW) * [[Luca Toni]] (FW) |} === Most capped players === As of [[June 22]], [[2008]], the players with the most caps for Italy are: {| class="wikitable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;" |- !# !Name !Career !Caps !Goals |- !1 |align="left"|[[Paolo Maldini]] |1988&ndash;2002 |126 |7 |- !2 |align="left"|[[Fabio Cannavaro]] |1997&mdash; |116 |2 |- !3 |align="left"|[[Dino Zoff]] |1968&ndash;1983 |112 |0 |- !4 |align="left"|[[Giacinto Facchetti]] |1963&ndash;1977 |94 |3 |- !5 |align="left"|[[Alessandro Del Piero]] |1995&ndash;2008 |89 |27 |- !6 |align="left"|[[Gianluigi Buffon]] |1997&mdash; |86 |0 |- !rowspan="3" valign="center"|7 |align="left"|[[Franco Baresi]] |1982&ndash;1994 |81 |1 |- |align="left"|[[Giuseppe Bergomi]] |1982&ndash;1998 |81 |6 |- |align="left"|[[Marco Tardelli]] |1976&ndash;1985 |81 |6 |- !10 |align="left"|[[Demetrio Albertini]] |1991&ndash;2002 |79 |3 |- |} ===Top goalscorers=== As of [[June 22]], [[2008]], the players with the most goals for Italy are: {| class="wikitable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;" |- !# !Player !Career !Goals (caps) !Goals per match |- !1 |style="text-align:left;"|[[Luigi Riva]] |1965&ndash;1974 |35 (42) |0.83 |- !2 |style="text-align:left;"|[[Giuseppe Meazza]] |1930&ndash;1939 |33 (53) |0.62 |- !3 |style="text-align:left;"|[[Silvio Piola]] |1935&ndash;1952 |30 (34) |0.88 |- !rowspan="2" valign="center"|4 |style="text-align:left;"|[[Roberto Baggio]] |1988&ndash;2004 |27 (56) |0.48 |- |style="text-align:left;"|[[Alessandro Del Piero]] |1995&ndash;2008 |27 (89) |0.30 |- !rowspan="3" valign="center"|6 |style="text-align:left;"|[[Adolfo Baloncieri]] |1920&ndash;1930 |25 (47) |0.53 |- |style="text-align:left;"|[[Filippo Inzaghi]] |1997&ndash;2007 |25 (57) |0.44 |- |style="text-align:left;"|[[Alessandro Altobelli]] |1980&ndash;1988 |25 (61) |0.41 |- !rowspan="2" valign="center"|9 |style="text-align:left;"|[[Christian Vieri]] |1997&ndash;2005 |23 (49) |0.47 |- |style="text-align:left;"|[[Francesco Graziani]] |1975&ndash;1983 |23 (64) |0.36 |} == See also == * [[Juventus F.C. and the Italian national football team|Juventus F.C. & the Italian football team]] * [[Battle of Highbury]] * [[Battle of Santiago]] * [[Game of the Century (football)|Game of the Century]] == Notes == {{reflist}} == External links == * [http://www.figc.it/ Italian Football Federation (Official news about the national team)] * [http://italian-calcio.com All the latest news and results from Italy] {{en}} * [http://www.a2bworldcup.com/italy.html Italy World Cup News] * [http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/ital-intres.html RSSSF archive of international results 1910&mdash;] * [http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/ital-recintlp.html RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers] * [http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/ital-coach-triv.html RSSSF archive of coaches 1910&mdash;] * [http://www.planetworldcup.com/NATIONS/ita.html Planet World Cup archive of results in the World Cup] * [http://www.planetworldcup.com/NATIONS/ita_qualify.html Planet World Cup archive of squads in the World Cup] * [http://www.planetworldcup.com/NATIONS/ita_squads.html Planet World Cup archive of results in the World Cup qualifiers] * [http://www.footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=natteam&Id=11&b=true&cont=Europe Profile of the Italian national team on footballdatabase.com] * [http://www.homestead.com/forza_azzurri/main.html <span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Forza Azzurri Statistics</span> &mdash; A comprehensive Statistics archive] * [http://www.amoia.bravehost.com/calcio.html Italian Calcio by Steve Amoia. History of the Azzurri and the Serie A. English language site.] * [http://www.footballitaliano.co.uk/ Football Italiano - U.K based site on Italian Football] == Titles == {{start box}} {{succession box | before = [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]] {{fb-rt|URU}} | title = [[FIFA World Cup|World Champions]] | years = [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]] (First title)<br/>[[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]] (Second title) | after = [[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]] {{fb-rt|URU}} }} {{succession box | before = [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]] {{fb-rt|ARG|alt}} | title = [[FIFA World Cup|World Champions]] | years = [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]] (Third title) | after = [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]] {{fb-rt|ARG}} }} {{succession box | before = [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]] {{fb-rt|BRA}} | title = [[FIFA World Cup|World Champions]] | years = [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]] (Fourth title) | after = Incumbent }} {{succession box | before = [[1964 UEFA European Football Championship|1964]] {{fb-rt|Spain|1939}} | title = [[UEFA European Football Championship|European Champions]] | years = [[1968 UEFA European Football Championship|1968]] (First title) | after = [[1972 UEFA European Football Championship|1972]] {{fb-rt|FRG}} }} {{end box}} {{fb start}} {{International Football}} {{UEFA teams}} {{FWC Winners}} {{2006 FIFA World Cup finalists}} {{UEFA Euro 2008 finalists}} {{Football in Italy}} {{fb end}} [[Category:Italy national football team| ]] [[Category:European national football teams]] [[Category:FIFA World Cup-winning countries|Italy]] [[Category:UEFA European Football Championship-winning countries]] [[Category:National sports teams of Italy|Football]] [[Category:Laureus World Sports Awards winners]] [[ar:منتخب إيطاليا لكرة القدم]] [[be-x-old:Зборная Італіі па футболе]] [[bg:Национален отбор по футбол на Италия]] [[ca:Selecció de futbol d'Itàlia]] [[cs:Italská fotbalová reprezentace]] [[da:Italiens fodboldlandshold]] [[de:Italienische Fußballnationalmannschaft]] [[et:Itaalia jalgpallikoondis]] [[es:Selección de fútbol de Italia]] [[eo:Itala nacia teamo de futbalo]] [[eu:Italiako futbol selekzio nazionala]] [[fa:تیم ملی فوتبال ایتالیا]] [[fr:Équipe d'Italie de football]] [[gl:Selección de fútbol de Italia]] [[ko:이탈리아 축구 국가대표팀]] [[hr:Talijanska nogometna reprezentacija]] [[id:Tim nasional sepak bola Italia]] [[it:Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia]] [[he:נבחרת איטליה בכדורגל]] [[jv:Tim nasional sépak bola Italia]] [[ka:იტალიის ეროვნული საფეხბურთო ნაკრები]] [[lv:Itālijas futbola izlase]] [[lt:Italijos vyrų futbolo rinktinė]] [[hu:Olasz labdarúgó-válogatott]] [[ml:ഇറ്റാലിയന്‍ ഫുട്ബോള്‍ ടീം]] [[mt:Tim nazzjonali tal-futbol ta' l-Italja]] [[mr:इटली फुटबॉल संघ]] [[nl:Italiaans voetbalelftal]] [[ja:サッカーイタリア代表]] [[no:Italias herrelandslag i fotball]] [[pl:Reprezentacja Włoch w piłce nożnej]] [[pt:Seleção Italiana de Futebol]] [[ro:Echipa naţională de fotbal a Italiei]] [[ru:Сборная Италии по футболу]] [[scn:Italia (squatra di palluni)]] [[sk:Talianske národné futbalové mužstvo]] [[sl:Italijanska nogometna reprezentanca]] [[sr:Фудбалска репрезентација Италије]] [[fi:Italian jalkapallomaajoukkue]] [[sv:Italiens herrlandslag i fotboll]] [[th:ฟุตบอลทีมชาติอิตาลี]] [[vi:Đội tuyển bóng đá quốc gia Ý]] [[tg:Тими миллии футболи Италия]] [[tr:İtalya Millî Futbol Takımı]] [[uk:Збірна Італії з футболу]] [[zh-yue:意大利足球代表隊]] [[zh:意大利國家足球隊]]