Top 10 Italian soccer players of all time

Few nations are as in love with a sport as Italians are with soccer. "Calcio" is an essential part of Italian life, and a simple mention of legendary players can evoke memories and stories that go on for ages.

Here are the 10 greatest soccer players of all time from Bel Paese.

10. Francesco Totti (1992-2017)

Totti spent his entire career with AS Roma, scoring 307 goals and 185 assists in 785 appearances. The Golden Boy led the club to a Serie A title in 2001, along with two Coppa Italia victories and a pair of Italian Supercups. He won five Italian player of the year awards in his 25 seasons with the capital club, and his 250 league goals is second-most in Serie A history.

Totti was also a part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning squad. He assisted four goals during the tournament and scored the winner against Australia. He is fifth in caps among forwards in Azzurri history, and his 316 career goals for club and country is sixth-most of any Italian.

9. Dino Zoff (1961-83)

One of the most renowned keepers of all time, Zoff bookended his career with international successes. In his fourth cap, he helped Italy win the 1968 European Championship. In 1982, he became the oldest player ever to win the World Cup when he captained the Azzurri. In between, Zoff set the international record for longest clean-sheet streak, still standing at 1,142 minutes without conceding.

Voted the third-best keeper of the 20th century, Zoff finished second in the 1973 Ballon d’Or race. He played for Udinese, Mantova, Napoli, and Juventus at the club level, winning six scudettos, two Coppa Italias, and a UEFA Cup with the Old Lady.

8. Alessandro Del Piero (1991-2014)

Del Piero was a fixture at Juventus, scoring 260 goals in 705 matches for the Old Lady over 19 seasons. He also won a Champions League title, six scudettos, and a UEFA Super Cup with the club. His 346 career goals in all competitions is the second-most for any Italian player behind Silvio Piola. He is still the club’s all-time appearance leader and goal-scorer, despite being a deeper-lying forward than most.

Del Piero represented Italy in seven international tournaments, including three World Cups, and scored 27 goals in 91 matches for the national team. He was Italy’s super sub in the 2006 competition and scored their second goal in the semifinal win over Germany before making his shootout attempt in the final against France.

7. Fabio Cannavaro (1991-2011)

Cannavaro is only the third defender to ever win the Ballon d’Or, doing so in 2006 after captaining Italy to a World Cup victory. Cannavaro played every minute of the tournament, as the Azzurri allowed just two goals in seven matches (one was an own goal). He also became the only defender to win FIFA’s World Player of the Year.

Cannavaro was capped by Italy 136 times, playing in four World Cups for the Azzurri. Despite his 5'9" frame, he was able to beat bigger attackers with his incredible leaping ability and his stellar tactical prowess. His greatest success came with Gianluigi Buffon, with the two pairing to win a pair of Serie A titles at Parma along with the World Cup.

Cannavaro had a solid club career as well. He played for Parma, Napoli, Juventus, and Real Madrid, where he won two La Liga titles with the Spanish giants.

6. Andrea Pirlo (1995-2017)

Few players have displayed the style or grace possessed by this midfield maestro. Pirlo was known for his brilliant cut pass, a technique where he would see a teammate making a run and then deceive the defense by making a no-look 90-degree pass. It was famously on display in the 2006 World Cup, where he set up Italy’s winning goal in the final minute of extra time to beat Germany in the semifinal.

Pirlo was masterful in seeing the pitch from deep-lying areas and, despite lacking pace, was able to dribble out of tight spaces and put passes on a dime from 50 yards away. He was also a set-piece assassin and could score from as far as 40 yards out.

Pirlo was a key cog not just for Italy in their 2006 World Cup win but also in Italy’s 2012 European Championship final run. Additionally, he won two Serie A titles and two Champions League trophies with AC Milan and was the metronome for four consecutive league crowns for Juventus from 2012 to 2015.

5. Gianluigi Buffon (1995-2023)

There is no debate who Italy’s best keeper is – even Zoff has said it is Buffon. He finally retired at age 45 after two seasons with Parma in Serie B. He began his career with them, leading them to a UEFA Cup title before joining Juventus for a world-record fee for a keeper in 2001. He is one of the few players ever to make more than 1,100 official appearances.

Buffon won 10 Serie A titles, including seven straight scudettos with Juventus from 2011 to 2018. He also has four Coppa Italia wins, but lost all three Champions League finals in which he appeared. He holds the league record with 12 consecutive clean sheets, and his 299 Serie A clean sheets are also a record. Buffon’s 176 caps for Italy are the most ever, 40 more than Cannavaro, and he was a star in the 2006 World Cup run with multiple key saves.

4. Franco Baresi (1977-97)

One of two career one-club players at AC Milan on the list, Baresi became a regular starter at just age 18 and is considered one of the best defenders ever. He appeared in 628 matches for the club, and was named captain at age 22 due to his stellar leadership. Piscinin twice led the club back to Serie A after being relegated for match-fixing and won three Champions League titles, six Serie A crowns, and four Italian Supercups. Baresi was voted Milan’s player of the century in 1999, and his No. 6 shirt has been retired by the club.

Despite his excellence, Baresi did not become a mainstay for the national team until the mid-'80s because other players were preferred. However, he did win the 1982 World Cup and was Italy’s captain in the 1994 World Cup, missing his penalty to open the shootout in the final against Brazil.

3. Roberto Baggio (1982-2004)

Known for his instantly recognizable hairstyle, the Divine Ponytail helped restore the Italian national team to glory in the 1990s. Baggio is the only Italian player to score in three World Cups, as his playmaking ability was on display in the 1990, 1994, and 1998 tournaments. Sadly for Baggio, his shootout miss in the 1994 final against Brazil was the defining moment of the competition.

Baggio’s slithering runs and silky dribbling helped him become the first Italian in more than a half-century to score more than 300 goals at the club level, in addition to the 27 he scored for the Azzurri. That, plus his creativity and passing, were the reason Juventus signed him from Fiorentina in 1990 for a world-record fee.

Baggio won a Serie A title, Coppa Italia, and UEFA Cup with the Old Lady before winning another league crown with AC Milan. He also won the 1993 Ballon d’Or and World Footballer of the Year. In 1999 he was voted the fourth-best player in FIFA’s Player of the Century poll.

2. Giuseppe Meazza (1927-47)

Scoring a pair of goals in his debut at age 17, Meazza is the greatest Italian attacking player ever. He scored 31 goals in his first season, more than any other Serie A debutant ever, and only one player has more than his 33 goals for the Italian national team.

Meazza spent the majority of his career with Inter Milan, where he won three Serie A titles and scored 242 goals in 13 seasons. He played two seasons for AC Milan, and single seasons for Juventus, Varese, and Atalanta, but his career had sputtered by then.

His best work came with the Azzurri, where he led Italy’s attack as they won their first two World Cups in 1934 and 1938. Il Genio was immortalized following his death, when AC Milan and Inter Milan’s joint stadium, the San Siro, was officially renamed the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in 1980.

1. Paolo Maldini (1985-2009)

Maldini is considered by some to be the greatest defender of all time. Another one-club man, he spent his entire 25-year senior career at AC Milan, following in the footsteps of his legendary father, Cesare, as club captain.

Maldini was part of Arrigo Sacchi's Immortals and Fabio Capello's Invincibles, partnering with Franco Baresi for one of the strongest defensive partnership of all time. He also was the rock of Carlo Ancelotti’s sides that reached three Champions League finals in five years. A two-footed player whose pace and tackling ability made him nearly impossible to beat, he received just three red cards in over 1,000 matches for club and country.

Maldini’s eight Champions League finals appearances is tied for the record, and he claimed victory five times. He won seven Serie A titles, two Intercontinental Cups, a Coppa Italia, and five Italian Super Cups. 

He holds Milan’s appearances record with 902 and had his No. 3 jersey retired.

Maldini never won a trophy with the Azzurri, but he did help them to the 1994 World Cup final and the 2000 European Championship final. He also holds the international record for most minutes played in World Cup matches.

Updated by Rick Seto

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