Greatest Italian Footballer Ever

Marco Tardelli was born on 24 September 1954 in Careggine, Tuscany, Italy. He is an actor and writer, known for Appena un minuto (2019), Italia 1982 - Una storia azzurra (2022) and La domenica sportiva (1953).

Alessandro Nesta Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian professional football manager and former player. Usually deployed as a center-back, he is widely considered one of the best defenders of all time. He was best known for his pace, artistic tackles, elegance on the ball, distribution and tight marking of opponents. He made over 400 Serie A appearances in a 20-year career spread between Lazio (UEFA Cup) and AC Milan (2x UEFA Champions League), winning domestic and European titles with both clubs.

Claudio Gentile was born on 27 September 1953 in Tripoli, Libya.

Giuseppe Bergomi was born on 22 December 1963 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy.

Francesco Totti today is a sport manager but for Italian people still remains "the captain" of AS Roma. Symbol of Italian football but, above all, of the city of Rome, he is considered one of the best footballers in the world and during his career, from 1989, he has always played in AS Roma, of which he was captain from 1998 to 2017, his last football season. In 2005 he married the beautiful TV Host Ilary Blasi; the couple has three children. Among the innumerable records, prizes and awards at international level he was certainly one of the symbolic players of Fifa World Cup in 2006, won by Italy.

Fabio Cannavaro was born on 13 September 1973 in Naples, Campania, Italy. He is an actor, known for Volesse il cielo! (2002), Secret Tournament (2002) and Sognando Maradona (2003). He is married to Daniela. They have three children.

Alessandro Del Piero, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer, generally considered one of the best footballers of all time. He plays for Juventus in Italy. Pelè named Del Piero in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelè as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations while Brazilian star Ronaldinho proclaimed that Del Piero is his idol. Del Piero was also voted in the list of best European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. In the year 2000, Del Piero was the world's best-paid football player from salary, bonuses and advertising revenue. Del Piero is still the highest earning Italian Player. Along with three awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality and playing ability. Del Piero usually plays as a supporting-striker and occasionally between the midfield and the strikers, known in Italy as the "Trequartista" position. Although he is not very tall, Del Piero's playing style is regarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting many goals as well as scoring himself, as opposed to just "goal poaching." His free-kick and penalty taking is also highly regarded. Del Piero has become famous over the years for scoring from a special " Del Piero Zone", approaching from the left flank and curling a precise lob into the far top corner of the goal. In terms of goalscoring, Del Piero holds the all-time record at Juventus. On April 6th, 2008, Alessandro Del Piero became the all-time highest-capped Juventus player, ahead of Juve legend Gaetano Scirea. He is in sixth place in the UEFA Champions League all-time goalscorer records. Within the Italian national team, he is joint fourth with Roberto Baggio in the all-time scoring records. During the 2008-2009 summer pre-season Del Piero played during Juventus' English tour, in which they played Hamburger SV and Arsenal F.C. in the Emirates Cup, and played a friendly versus Manchester United in Old Trafford. In the match he was substituted and was given a standing ovation by all Manchester United fans. Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri believes Del Piero will have as good of a season,or an even better season than last term. (In August 2008), Del Piero announced that he'll try to keep playing professional football with Juve until he is 40 years old. (On September 17, 2008) Juventus returned to the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Zenit, in which Alessandro scored from a free kick, 38 metres away. Again in the Champions League, he was the match winner for Juventus, (on the 5th of November) he scored both goals at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid, becoming the first Juve player to have scored two goals in the same match in this ground. Near the end of the match he was substituted and was given a standing ovation by the whole crowd including the Real Madrid fans. Del Piero is married to Sonia Amoruso, the two have been together (since 1999) and married (in 2005). The couple announced in July 2007 that they are expecting their first baby. (On October 22, 2007), Amoruso gave birth to baby boy Tobias Del Piero at 0:20 at Sant'Anna hospital in Turin. Del Piero has used his fame and money to promote and support cancer research; in recognition of this he has received from the Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro a prize of "Believe in Research" (during November 2006). When the Olympic Flame for the (2006) Winter Olympics passed through Turin, Del Piero was a torchbearer. He has an interest in sports outside of football and in turn has gained fans outside of just football, sport icons such as NBA star Steve Nash and cycling legend Eddy Merckx have stated that they are fans of Del Piero. As well as an interest in other sports, Del Piero also has a keen interest in music. He has even recorded some albums of his own. Del Piero is an Oasis fan and is a friend of Noel Gallagher and appeared in the video for the group's single Lord Don't Slow Me Down; Del Piero claimed Gallagher was Italy's lucky mascot in their (2006 World Cup) success and invited him to the final and the team hotel after victory. Along with Marco Materazzi, Del Piero appeared on stage at a Rolling Stones show in Milan shortly after Italy's World Cup win.

Gianluigi Buffon is an Italian professional footballer who captains and plays as a goalkeeper for the Serie B club Parma. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He is one of the few recorded players to have made over 1,100 professional career appearances.

At club level, Buffon's professional career began with Parma in 1995, where he made his Serie A debut. He soon broke into the starting line-up and earned a reputation as one of the most promising young goalkeepers in Italy, helping Parma to win the Coppa Italia, the UEFA Cup and the Supercoppa Italiana in 1999. After joining Juventus in 2001, for the world record fee for a goalkeeper of EUR52 million at the time, Buffon won Serie A titles in both of his first two seasons at the club, and established himself as one of the best players in the world in his position.

In his first spell at Juventus, he won a record nine Serie A titles, four Coppa Italias, and five Supercoppa Italianas. He was the first goalkeeper to win the Serie A Footballer of the Year award, and was named Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year a record twelve times. After reaching the 2015 and 2017 UEFA Champions League finals, he was named to the Champions League Squad of the Season on both occasions, and won the inaugural The Best FIFA Goalkeeper award in the latter year.

Gaetano Scirea was an Italian football player who is considered one of the greatest defenders of all-time. Scirea is one of only five players in European football history to have won all international trophies for football clubs recognized by UEFA and FIFA. Scirea is also one of only nine players in the history of the European football that won all three major UEFA football competitions. He played for the Italian national team for more than a decade during which he was irreplaceable as the leading defender, keeping Franco Baresi out of the national team for four years until he retired in 1986. Scirea became a World Champion with the 1982 FIFA World Cup winning team, defeating Brazil 3-2 in a brilliantly played quarter-final match, and dominating Germany 3-1 in the final. Scirea was a graceful defender of great skill and tactical ability. In contrast to the ruthless tactics often employed by other defenders, most notably his paired partner, Claudio Gentile, Scirea was renowned for his class, fair play and sportsmanship. Scirea never earned a red card in his career. He played the sweeper, or libero, role for most of his career, and contributed to the development of this position initiated by Franz Beckenbauer in the 1970s. Thus, Scirea would detach himself from the defensive line and contribute to the attacking potential of his team, frequently being involved in the build-up of goals, and sometimes even scoring himself. In the latter part of his career, Scirea played a more defensive central-defender role, which he excelled at just the same. Scirea made his Serie A debut for Atalanta against Cagliari on 24 September 1972. He remained with Atalanta for two seasons, before transferring to Juventus, with whom he would stay until the end of his playing career. In all he made 397 appearances in Serie A, scoring 24 goals. Scirea saw great success with Juventus, playing alongside the hard-hitting Claudio Gentile, and winning every possible trophy to offer in the game. It has been said that because Scirea was so quietly effective in his position on the field and so quiet in general off the field he did not win as many personal honours throughout the years as other more outspoken and media-friendly players during that time. It was only after his retirement that the wider audience realized and appreciated his fantastic importance to the cause of Juventus and the Italy national football team. Scirea debuted with the Italian national team on 30 December 1974, against Greece. He immediately became an irreplaceable pillar of the team managed by Enzo Bearzot, and played in three World Cups and one European Championship in 1980. The team of the period 1978-1982 was one of the strongest Italian sides of the post-war period. Scirea impressed in the 1978 World Cup where Italy finished in fourth place. At the 1982 World Cup, after a quiet start, Italy burst to life, beating Argentina and then Brazil in a thrilling match. A 3-1 victory over West Germany in the final earned Scirea a lasting place in World Cup history. By 1986 World Cup, however, the team was in transition, and went out to France in the second round. This was to be Scirea's last match for Italy, having won 78 caps and scoring 2 goals. He retired from club football at the end of the 1987-1988 season. He took up the role of scout at Juventus, but was killed in a car crash at Babsk, Poland. Scirea was there as an observer since Juventus was to play a match in the UEFA Cup against Gornik Zabrze; due to the gasoline shortages, quite common in then-economically-backward Poland it was commonplace for cars to store rather large quantities of gas canisters in their trunks. Since then his name has become attached to various youth tournaments and fair-play awards, as a role model for sportsmanship and sporting excellence. In 2005 former Italian national team coach Enzo Bearzot proposed the retirement of the jersey number six of that national team and Juventus in recognition of his great career.

Gianni Rivera was born on 18 August 1943 in Alessandria, Piedmont, Italy. He is an actor, known for Rose Against the Odds (1991), Dino Zoff - Volevo solo fare bene il mio lavoro and La domenica sportiva (1953). He has been married to Laura Marconi since 28 June 1987. They have two children.

Paolo Rossi was born on 23 September 1956 in Prato, Tuscany, Italy. He was an actor and producer, known for Lucignolo (1999), See You in Montevideo (2014) and Paolo Rossi: A Champion Is a Dreamer Who Never Gives Up (2020). He was married to Simonetta Rizzato and Federica Cappelletti. He died on 9 December 2020 in Siena, Tuscany, Italy.

Dino Zoff was born on 28 February 1942 in Mariano del Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy.

Franchino Baresi is an Italian football youth team coach and a former player and manager. He mainly played as a sweeper or as a central defender, and spent his entire 20-year career with Serie A club AC Milan, captaining the club for 15 seasons. He is considered one of the greatest defenders of all-time and was ranked 19th in World Soccer magazine's list of the 100 greatest players of the 20th century. With Milan, he won three UEFA Champions League titles, six Serie A titles, four Supercoppa Italiana titles, two European Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups.

Roberto Baggio Cavaliere is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. He is the former president of the technical sector of the Italian Football Federation. A technically gifted creative play-maker and set piece specialist, renowned for his curling free-kicks, dribbling skills, and goalscorer, Baggio is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. In 1999, he came fourth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll, and was chosen on the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002. In 1993, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100, a list of the world's greatest living players.

Paolo Cesare Maldini Ufficiale is an Italian former professional footballer who played primarily as a left back and center back for AC Milan and the Italy national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders and players of all time. As the Milan and Italy captain for many years he was nicknamed "Il Capitano" ("The Captain"). Maldini held the record for most appearances in Serie A, with 647, until 2020, when he was overtaken by Gianluigi Buffon. He is also the player with the most appearances with the Milan shirt (902).

Gianfranco Zola was born on 5 July 1966 in Oliena, Sardinia, Italy. He is an actor, known for Parma Calcio 1913 vs AC Milan (1995), Senza volto - Storia di Fabrizio Maiello (2024) and Renford Rejects (1998).

Andrea Pirlo is an Italian professional football coach and former player considered one of the best deep-lying play-makers ever, Pirlo was renowned for his vision, ball control, technique, creativity, passing, and free kick ability.

At international level, Pirlo played 116 matches for the Italian national football team, which is the fifth-most of all time. He made his senior debut in 2002, and captained his nation to a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. Pirlo was instrumental in Italy's triumph at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, winning the Bronze Ball and being elected to the Team of the Tournament. He repeated similar success as he led Italy to the final of the 2012 UEFA European Championships. Pirlo also represented his country at the 2004 and 2008 UEFA European Championships, the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, and the 2009 and 2013 FIFA Confederations Cups.

Pirlo finished in the top four five times in the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker award between 2006 and 2015. He placed fourth for UEFA Best Player in Europe in 2011, and seventh in 2015. He was named Serie A Footballer of the Year three times and voted to the Serie A Team of the Year four times. Pirlo was elected to UEFA Team of the Year in 2012, the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season in 2015, and was part of the FIFPro World XI in 2006. He also placed seventh for the 2007 FIFA World Player, finished in the top ten three times for the Ballon d'Or, and was named an MLS All-Star in 2016. In 2019, Pirlo was elected into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.

Christian Vieri was born on 12 July 1973 in Bologna, Italy. He is an actor, known for The Comedians (2017), Videomatch (1990) and Bobo TV (2020). He has been married to Costanza Caracciolo since 18 March 2019. They have two children.

Gianluca Zambrotta was born on 19 February 1977 in Como, Italy. He has been married to Valentina Liguori since 2004. They have one child.

Carlo Ancelotti was born on 10 June 1959 in Reggiolo, Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. He is an actor, known for The World of Don Camillo (1984), L'allenatore nel pallone 2 (2008) and LaLiga (1929). He has been married to Mariann Barrena since July 2014. He was previously married to Luisa Gibellini.

Fabio Capello was born on 18 June 1946 in San Canzian d'Isonzo, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy.

Antonio Cabrini was born on 8 October 1957 in Cremona, Lombardy, Italy. He is an actor, known for Ritorno al crimine (2021), La domenica sportiva (1953) and Bellezze al bagno (1989). He is married to Carla. They have two children. He was previously married to Consuelo Benzi.

Gianluca Vialli was born on 9 July 1964 in Cremona, Italy. He was an actor and writer, known for Lords of Football (2013), Dumar (2013) and Ramud Volume 2 (2018). He was married to Cathryn White-Cooper. He died on 6 January 2023 in London, England, UK.

Roberto Mancini was born on 27 November 1964 in Jesi, Italy. He is an actor, known for Miranda (2009), Banca di Roma Nel tuo Futuro (1999) and Gaffer (2024). He was previously married to Federica Morelli.