Tag: premier-league

Who’s the star of Serie A so far this season?

We head into Matchday 10 of Serie A this weekend and so far, it’s fair to say the Italian top flight hasn’t disappointed. This week alone we had penalty controversy in a battle between the top two, Juventus sacked their manager at the earliest point since the 60s and small provincial teams keep tearing up the form book. So has there been a star of the season so far?

Christian Chivu was building a strong case until his side lost 3-1 in Naples at the weekend in the aforementioned battle at the top. After a little blip in September, Inter had managed to win 7 on the bounce in all competitions before McTominay, De Bruyne and Anguissa put them back in their box. Their housemates silent but strong start has been sandwiched by two awful results against promoted teams, losing at home to Cremonese on Matchday 1 and then drawing with Pisa on Friday at the San Siro.

Bonazzoli scored a ridiculous opening day goal at the San Siro.

Milan had slowly been building some momentum under the radar including a credible draw at Juve, only prevented a great win with Pulisic’s missed penalty. He had been their star of the season until that point, scoring and assisting in a superb home win over champions Napoli. The two Milan clubs aren’t the only Lombardy clubs enjoying their start to the season (overall)… Como and Cremonese are surprising everyone.

Alright, Como might not be a particular surprise, everyone tipped them to improve on last season’s impressive showing by challenging for Europe. Cesc’s team appear to be pushing the envelope though and sit 5th going into Matchday 10, five points off the top of the league and one point ahead of the Old Lady. Yes, more on Juventus later, but Como and their star boy Nico Paz have been wowing audiences across Italy and Hollywood and are right in the hunt for Champions League football.

Nico Paz is this season’s star boy, no doubt

Two points behind them and having a party is everyone’s favourite to be relegated, Cremonese. The Lombardy side came up in the play off last season and were widely tipped to be enjoying Serie B again next season. The side from the home of violins were playing the World’s smallest ones when they won 2-1 at Milan on their first outing, then promptly beat fellow newboys Sassuolo in Matchday 2. Just when things couldn’t get any better, they signed former Premier League winner Jamie Vardy.

Cremonese have only lost once this season, a 4-1 hiding at the San Siro against Inter, but Jamie Vardy scored his first goal recently and they sit in 8th place above Lazio and Atalanta.

Atalanta, the other Lombardy side in this year’s Serie A, have started slowly. They dominate games as you’ve come to expect of the side from Bergamo but having lost Retegui to Saudi Arabia, had a Lookman who was on strike all summer and with Scamacca perenially injured, they’ve struggled to convert their dominance in matches into goals. In fact Atalanta are the only side still undefeated in the league, but 7 draws and 2 wins tells its own story.

Speaking of steady, a team steadily getting the job done every week is Bologna. Unspectacular, unnoticed and unsurprising – 4 wins and 3 draws have propelled the side from the home of Spag Bol up into 6th and flirting with a return to Europe’s top table. As long as Orsolini stays fit that is. The Bear is joint top scorer in Serie A with Hakan Calhanoglu and has scored more than a third of Bologna’s goals himself.

Not far up the road in Emilia Romagna, Parma have picked up exactly where they left off last season. Superb kits, but unconvincing performances have left them sitting just above the drop zone. For that description, we can bunch in Cagliari and Pisa too. Take away the great kits and we can also class Lecce and Torino in that bracket.

Lazio have been in turmoil. Absolutely skint and banned from signing players by the league as a result things threatened to get away from them this season. Maurizio Sarri returned to the club and very nearly quit within a week, instead choosing to do a press conference moaning about how he wasn’t given the full picture. He steadied the ship, however, and Lazio are delightfully average with 3 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats.

Lazio put the final nail in Igor Tudor’s coffin. The Croatian who made over 100 first team appearances for Juventus was their interim manager last year and got them into the Champions League at the last moment. He then got the gig permanently. Well, for about 3 months. For the first time since 1969 Juventus sacked a manager before November. After a thrilling Derby D’Italia win over Inter, Juve embarked on an 8 game winless run which the rest of Italy found hilarious. Those in Turin were more stoney faced.

Igor Tudor was the first Serie A manager sacked this season

Tudor was sacked, replaced by former national team coach Luciano Spalletti. Spalletti left Napoli as a champion 3 years ago and proclaimed he’d never manage another club side in Italy. He didn’t address this at his unveiling. The Ultras made their feelings perfectly clear after Tudor was given the boot, a banner at the stadium read, “Tudor one of us always, the fish rots from the head”. A cleverly disguised dig at the board in Turin and a sign that there are deeper issues at Juventus.

Joining Tudor in the Job Centre soon could be Genoa’s Patrick Viera and Fiorentina’s Stefano Pioli. Both are winless and according to the fans of each club, massively outstaying their welcome. The San Siro was echoing with cries of “Pioli’s on Fire” on Wednesday night, but not the Milan fans who once sang his name, it was Inter fans mocking their old adversary as they ran riot, winning 3-0.

Roma, by the way, are behind Napoli on just goal difference. Their quietly studious start has been underlined by Gasperini taking over from Ranieri in the summer. Gasperini, a famously defensive coach, master of catenaccio. Wait. No he isn’t. He’s famously gung-ho and defensively irresponsible. In their nine matches so far, Roma have conceded just 4 goals. Five clean sheets in these games underline Roma’s strength despite boasting a forward line that includes Evan Ferguson, Artem Dovbyk, Leon Bailey and Paulo Dybala. In fact, for a team with those players and Gasperini as coach, 10 goals in 9 matches can be considered a poor return. Or will they ominously kick into gear and get better?

A picture of a brick wall

So who’s been the star of Serie A so far this season? It’s hard to choose. And that’s the beauty of the league this season, it’s imperfections. Even the best team has something wrong with it, has a ventilation duct on their Death Star, has a minor flaw. That has left the league wide open and at the (almost) quarter way through stage leaves us with a top 4 separated by only 5 points. The title race in Italy is wide open, and it’s because no one’s perfect.

31st Oct 2025
Serie A’s best players so far (after 4 games).

There’s been some predictably good performances so far this season from certain players, but there’s been a couple that have surprised the league with their performances. So after 4 games, we’re breaking down the players who’ve put in a few statement performances – keep an eye on them for the rest of the season!

Kenan Yildiz (Juventus)

Probably zero surprise at his performances but the young Turkish star has been instrumental in Juve’s decent start this season. Four matches in the league with one (spectacular) goal and three assists as well as a goal and an assist in Juventus’ first Champions League match this season has started the rumour mill turning. Apparently Arsenal and Real Madrid are both “monitoring his situation” whatever that means.

Yildiz is the main creative threat for the Turin side, with 19 “Shot Creating Actions” in his 4 matches. Direct running, long shots and a keen eye for a pass, he scored a crucial goal against bitter rivals Inter in the Derby D’Italia turning and firing home from 30 yards out. He’s picked up the player of the month award for August and is a safe bet to do the same in September too. There’ll be a lot of money sniffing around Yildiz if he carries on this form.

Nico Paz (Como)

Again, no real surprise we’re talking about Nico Paz. The 21 year old Argentinian arrived in Lombardy from Real Madrid and looks set to return their next season for a paltry €10m(ish), thanks to a buy back clause. So vital is he to Como’s success that they turned down a €70m offer from Tottenham this summer just to keep him for one more year.

Paz scored a quite magnificent free kick in the season opening victory against Lazio and topped that with a filthy turn and through ball for his assist (check it out below). He also bagged in the 1-1 draw with Genoa and provided both assists in the 2-1 win at Fiorentina. Inter were interested in the summer but his future lies outside of Italy in a much richer league. Real Madrid seems the likely destination, just enjoy this lad while he’s still around.

Luka Modric (AC Milan)

Surely at 40 years old Modric was finished and wouldn’t be surprising anyone this season? Well, after a somewhat shaky start in the defeat to Cremonese – the team were worse than he was – Luka Modric has settled into a rhythm in Allegri’s team as they storm up the table. He provided his first assist in his second game, with a sublime corner nodded home by Loftus-Cheek and followed that with the only goal of the game against Bologna.

He didn’t provide any goals or assists in the 3-0 demolition of Udinese but was a reassuringly controlled influence in Milan’s midfield. Luka Modric is clearly still a top level talented playmaker averaging just over 72 passes per match with 92% completion rate.

Francesco “Pio” Esposito (Inter)

No goals or assists yet for the Inter Milan youngster but he’s here for a reason. For the oldest squad in the league again this season, his youthful exuberance is most welcomed in an Inter side trying to find an identity under a new coach. The 20 year old first impressed in the Club World Cup with a goal and assist and then frustratingly was limited to cameo performances at the start of this campaign.

Pio scored 20 goals for Spezia on loan in Serie B last season.

An injury to Lautaro, however, appeared to open the door to him and he was in impressive form against Ajax in the Champions League in his first start. Bullying an experienced backline, holding up the play well and creating for the players around him, he also could’ve scored twice himself. He followed this up with an impressive 77 minutes against Sassuolo in which he started the move that led to Dimarco’s goal and again could’ve scored twice – denied brilliantly on one occasion by Muric. He left the pitch to a standing ovation from the San Siro.

It’s only a matter of time before he scores one and then I’d expect to see a run of goals for the youngster, Inter fans should enjoy him while he wants to stick around!

Christian Pulisic (AC Milan)

English football fans may be surprised to see Pulisic here. Despite scoring fairly regularly at Chelsea he was never welcomed into the hearts of Chelsea fans. But in Milan he’s found a home and this season seems to be on a one man mission to drag Milan into a title race. Largely tipped to be outside the challengers this season, Pulisic’s 3 goals and 1 assist in 4 matches have helped to fire them up the table.

There’s no doubt Pulisic has possessed the talent to post these numbers, but has he had the mentality or mindset? He took a summer off from USA action, earning him heavy criticism at home but it’s paid off and if he takes that form into the World Cup next summer, I’m not sure the Americans will care about this summer.

He’s Milan’s main goal threat and will need to keep this up if they’re to challenge for a 20th Scudetto and join Inter with two stars on their shirt.

Nikola Krstovic

I think when Atalanta lost Retegui this summer and appointed Juric boss after his disastrous Roma and Southampton spells, many fans feared the worst in Lombardy. The replacement for Retegui was to be Nikola Krstovic from Lecce. He managed to bag 12 times in a poor team but expectation was low.

@thecalcioblog
First Serie A game for us this season! Atalanta 1-1 Pisa. Absolutely love this game that is Calcio! #atalanta #serieatim #calcio #italianfootball
♬ original sound – The Calcio Blog

We didn’t see much of Krstovic on our trip to Bergamo but since then he’s managed to score twice and provide three assists including two in the 4-1 win over his former club Lecce. He’s among the leaders for combined goals and assists so far in Serie A this season and Atalanta fans will be hoping this out-of-the-gate form will continue!

So there you have it, that’s our players of the season so far, after 4 matches. Who have we overrated? Who have we missed? What have we got wrong? Let us know in the comments below!

26th Sep 2025
The Derby D’Italia: Serie A’s great advert

In October 2024 I walked out of the San Siro after Inter had surrendered a 4-2 lead against Juventus to draw the Derby D’Italia. What had I just witnessed? The match was insane, two of the top teams in a top 5 league going hammer and tongs to win a game of football. And so early in the season. A stark contrast from the recent Premier League “big matches” we’ve seen, cagey 0-0 draws or scrappy 1-0 wins. The best league in the World doesn’t always deliver where its headline matches are concerned.

As I settled down after that match, I settled my mind on the opinion that this was just a great game. A one-off spectacular. We wouldn’t see it again would we?

Going into this first international break of the season as an Inter fan I was dreading the derby. Inter were too unpredictable, too fragile, they were playing a Juve team who seemed to start with a steely determination. The only thought in my head was meek defeat. A 2-0 or 3-0 had already been accepted in my head and the mood at Inter Club London – where I took in the game – was not much different.

And so it was in the 14th minute of the game when Lloyd Kelly – much maligned in his short Juve career – expertly steered home a half volley into the bottom of Sommer’s goal. Here we go again, Inter just aren’t up to it this season, is Chivu the wrong choice? But the fickleness of football fans – myself included – was exposed when Inter fought back into the game. Inter were looking for redemption and they found it through a man looking for his own redemption story in an Inter shirt. Hakan Calhanoglu had left the club in the summer. “Injured” throughout the Club World Cup in the summer while his agent touted him around Turkey looking for a return, he was the subject of Lautaro’s ire after defeat to Fluminense. He responded with his own angry statement, Milan fans said “I told you so” and he was to leave.

But after Galatasaray couldn’t agree a fee since signing Osimhen, Calha was going to have to stay put. Cue a statement professing his desire to work hard for Inter, some staged photos with Lautaro and he was integrated back into the squad. To his credit, there was no Isak or Wissa behaviour, he showed a willingness to play at Inter – now he was stuck here.

And so to the 30th minute on Saturday evening, he swept home decisively on his left foot, Di Gregorio probably could’ve done better but Hakan was back. Inter fans were in delirium and the summer antics were forgotten. This was suddenly a contest.

For a few minutes anyway. Kenan Yildiz is in my FantaCalcio team and he justified his selection with yet another outrageous goal. Smashing home into the bottom corner from around 25-30 yards out. Again, there’s a question mark over the goalkeeping, but wouldn’t that just be a bit of bitterness? Let’s take nothing away from a World Class strike from the young Turk, surely now on the radar of Europe’s top clubs.

When the half time whistle went, the fans at Inter Club London were breathless, but optimistic. “We’re playing well, it just needs to be better in both boxes” was the prevailing opinion. With the beers restocked for the second half, Inter drew first blood, the man on a mission Hakan Calhanoglu went and bettered his first strike with a stunning chest and volley into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Absolute pandemonium in the Inter Club. Not one mention of summer transfer sagas. I guess it goes to show, if you show up and do your job, most transgressions can be forgiven. Maybe when the dust settles there’ll be a conversation to be had, but at that moment, he was a god amongst men.

With Juve reeling, Inter stepped on the accelerator. A dominant spell had resulted in a goal, and they weren’t done. They could smell blood. Like the biscione that adorned their badge during the late 80s they bit back at Juve again.

Marcus Thuram rose highest from a corner and nodded into the net. Let me tell you, if Thuram’s own celebration was muted, the supporters at Inter Club London were not. This was the closest I’ve ever seen to a match atmosphere in a pub. Legs and arms were flying everywhere. Inter led their most bitter rival 3-2, there was only 15 minutes to play. Surely the most improbable of victories was beckoning. Surely?

Expectation is the enemy of joy isn’t it. It took 6 minutes for Marcus Thuram’s younger brother to equalise for Juve. A silly foul given away by Bastoni, an unmarked player in the box and Inter had handed the momentum back to their arch rivals. “Merda” cries all over the pub. What was an expectation of victory became the hope of a draw. Fingernails were being chewed to the bone. Hair being pulled out. Eyes covered.

As we entered stoppage time you can’t help but think, “well a draw isn’t so bad actually”. Sure it’s annoying to blow a 3-2 lead but a point away to Juventus, it’s alright. That is until teenager Adzic announced himself to Italy and the world with a remarkable strike from some 30-35 yards out. What on Earth he was doing shooting remains a mystery, the easy ball was out to the right to build a move. But for some reason the young lad, with next to no backlift, decided to send a powerful effort towards Yann Sommer’s goal. There’s a few questions for Inter stopper to answer given he gets a big hand to the ball, but again, you should just be applauding the spectacular strike. I’ve never been in a room as full as the one I was in Saturday night that was completely stoney silent. Not a sound. A single “Merda” broke the silence eventually.

There’s all kinds of analysis that can be done after a game like that. You can look again at both sides mentality, Worlds apart, you can study the decisions made in the Inter Milan defence. I’ll leave that to the football experts, I deal in emotion. Once I’d picked myself up from the floor, downed three more pints and then thought about the match I had one overriding thought. What a game.

It has everything. Redemption for Calha, world class strikes, brothers in opposing sides, two fairly novice managers battling with big clubs, end to end football, young players announcing themselves in the best way possible and one man’s march towards a definite future Ballon D’Or. This was the advert Serie A needed. Derided by some as a “has been league”, this game showcased the exact opposite. It was exciting, it swung both ways, the lead changed hands and it was the younger stars on the pitch who shone the brightest.

I haven’t seen a La Liga or Premier League that exciting in years. The next day I watched Man City easily despatch their city rivals United in a no contest. A week before I barely stayed awake as Liverpool edged past Arsenal 1-0. I know there’s more money at stake in England, it makes those games much tighter. I know they’re probably better “tactical battles”. But I’m not after that, I’m looking to be excited. I’m after Pazza Inter. And they’re back.

16th Sep 2025
A Fragile Mind: Inter’s Munich Hangover

Last Monday as I walked out of the San Siro, I was relaxed about Inter’s season ahead. They’d just stuffed Torino 5-0, could’ve had many more and it looked as though the title race might actually be a race this season. Inter were dynamic, aggressive, purposeful and every player on the pitch wanted to be out there doing their best. Last night it all changed.

It seemed strange that Calhanoglu was instantly back in the team given his and his agent’s performance over the summer. There was a line drawn under all that apparently and he wanted to be here and fight for the team. Now, I should preface this with the disclosure that I’m not, in fact, a top level European Elite Coach. But one thing I do know about football, is that you don’t change a team that won 5-0 if you can avoid it.

The decision to drop Mkhitaryan – looking much rejuvenated last week – was an odd one, especially to shoehorn in a player who hasn’t had much of a pre-season (if any). It showed last night, from the off Inter were slower, much more passive in possession, lethargic and predictable. It brought back sudden memories of the Roma and Lazio matches at the end of last season.

Despite this they made the breakthrough, Denzel Dumfries firing home from a yard out after some good work by Marcus Thuram. Udinese to this point hadn’t offered much at all and it seemed like Inter may get away with it and slink into the international break with 6 points. Then Udinese woke up. They were very quickly awarded a VAR intervened penalty. For what it’s worth, for me, it seemed a harsh award. Dumfries’ arm is tucked in to his body and the ball comes from less than a yard away, I’m not sure what he’s supposed to do there, he’s not gaining an advantage. That said, the penalty is given and you have to deal with it.

Englishman Keinan Davis tucked it away and Inter immediately melted. They were outplayed, out thought and out fought for the rest of the first half that saw Davis assist a quite magnificent Atta goal. Inter looked shell shocked when the half time whistle went, they looked like the team that trudged off the pitch in Munich after a 5-0 whalloping by PSG.

Inter were better in the second half last night, but they didn’t do enough. Too many sideways passes, not enough movement in forward areas. Chivu tried to fix the issue with numbers, chucking players on the pitch in forward positions that seemed to just complicate things. Lautaro was quiet, both in his performance but also his voice. There was no rallying call issued on the pitch. In a stadium without the support and driving force of the Curva Nord, Inter needed leaders on the pitch, they were lacking.

The truth is, offside goals aside, they never looked like equalising let alone winning this match. They exposed their weaknesses for all to see, it’s their mindset. A supremely talented group of players, there’s no doubt about this. When things are going well, they go very well, but when they go wrong, they go very wrong.

There’s clearly a lot of trauma from that night in Munich, but also from the way they threw away an almost certain Scudetto. After Napoli limped towards the finish line, Inter only had to beat Lazio at home and Como away and they were over the line. Pedro’s late equaliser at the San Siro for Lazio handed Napoli an advantage that they clung on to.

During their 2024 title win they were “mentality monsters”. The Champions League Round of 16 defeat to Atleti seemed to galvanise the team, it hardened their focus as they went on a spectacular run in Serie A. They won 6 straight Milan derbies, they beat Juventus in a tense and tough battle at the San Siro and they only lost two games all season – both to Sassuolo – with an unbelievable defensive record to boot.

Where is that mindset now? PSG battered them 5-0 a mere week after they lost the Scudetto to Napoli and within a couple of days the Father of this Inter, Simone Inzaghi packed his bags and went to earn €30m a year in Saudi Arabia. Inter then scrambled for a coach and Chivu stepped in to the role of Step Dad to this team.

And that’s what Inter look like, a group of players who are still a little dazed. A little unsure. Are they able to trust again, do they want to allow themselves to love this new person in their life or will they be hurt again? They looked leggy and confused in the Club World Cup this summer, but it all seemed to go away last week.

Against Torino, Inter were exorcising their demons it seemed. Brilliantly passionate on the pitch, everything was going to be ok. One swallow doesn’t make a summer, however, and the win against Torino was swiftly followed by that massively disappointing second album against Udinese.

In the same way Inter fans shouldn’t have got too high after one game, this defeat shouldn’t get them too low, but we football fans are a fickle bunch and it’s easier to see the negatives than the positives in your own team.

These players will now travel the World for two weeks playing for their various national teams, before returning to Serie A action next Saturday against Juventus in Turin. Inter need to find some mental strength before that game, or it could be another blood bath…

1st Sep 2025
Serie A’s Next Great Crisis: Losing Its Future Stars

In just the past year, Italy has watched a golden generation slip through its fingers. Mateo Retegui headed to Saudi Arabia, Giovanni Leoni swapped Parma for Liverpool, Riccardo Calafiori moved abroad, and Diego Coppolla packed his bags too. They’re part of a growing list of young Italian footballers leaving Serie A in search of opportunity, money, and trust.

It’s a worrying pattern — and one that could shape the future of Italian football for decades.

The Growing Exodus

This summer Italy lost her top scorer to the Saudi Arabian league. Not such a shock that Italian teams can’t keep up with the wages in Saudi Arabia, even the Premier League struggles with that. What was alarming was that Mateo Retegui is 26 years old, and had just won the Capocannoniere (top scorer award).

Then, after Juventus, Inter and Milan were all circling the Parma prodigy Giovanni Leoni, Liverpool swooped out of nowhere and took the centre back to England. The reported fee of €40m shouldn’t really have been too beyond the three biggest clubs in Italy.

As well as this, Calafiori headed to London last summer, Diego Coppolla has chosen Brighton this summer. Some players you’ve probably never heard of that have left Italy include Samuel Pia and Luca Reggianni are both in Germany at Dortmund, Manuel Pisano went over the Alps from Turin to Munich in 2023 and Guido Della Rovere went from Cremonese to Bayern too.

Why Are They Leaving?

It depends on the player, is the shortest answer we can give here… Leoni and Calafiori undoubtedly left because there was more money on the table in England than in Italy. This financial weakness was highlighted by Luigi De Siervo (CEO, Serie A) who blamed rampant illegal streaming for severe revenue losses. He estimates this to be roughly €300m annually, which is affected the wages that Italian clubs can pay, along with stifling investment into youth development and their infrastructure.

But lower down the age groups, why are players leaving Italian Academies for Germany? There’s no real player pathway for Italian footballers to break into the first team in Serie A. Unless you’re a truly exceptional talent, the over reliance on experienced players in Italy means there’s no way to force your way into the team. Therefore, the naturally inkling is to look elsewhere. Germany has a reputation for blooding young players, even the high stakes of the English Premier League give young kids a chance from time to time.

This brings an over reliance to Serie B or Serie C teams, the standard is much lower, the development isn’t as intense and the development window for great talent is missed. Players don’t see any Serie A minutes until the age of 22. Enzo Maresca (Chelsea Manager) even pointed at this reliance on “experience” led to the demolition of Inter Milan in the 2025 Champions League final.

Carlo Nesti (veteran journalist) paints a grim picture of life in Italy for young players. Serie A has a high foreign player ratio of 50-60%, with only about 3-6% of playing time in Serie A going to Under 21 Italian players, far below peers like La Liga and the Premier League. The Italian overemphasis on tactical rigidity and defensive habits along with dwindling grassroots and street football sees a demographic decline in young Italian players making the grade.

The Cost For Italian Football

The cost of the decline in young Italian talent staying in Italy is threefold. There’s the natural risk of a weaker national team, the loss of connection between clubs and their local communities and fans being deprived of seeing their own talent grow at home.

The national team weakness is fairly self explanatory. If your best young players scatter all over Europe, then they’ll grow up in different systems and different philosophies before returning to play together. In theory, the players could flourish under these better foreign academies, with much more game time – but they’re not likely to come together on national duty with similar outlooks and tactical ideas or even capabilities.

Football has always been a community sport. The clubs have been the heart of the communities, they’ve brought the local people together under one set of colours, one badge. And the strongest link to all of these clubs has been local homegrown talent. But when that talent is being lost before they’ve set foot on the pitch, there becomes a strain on the relationship. There’s no closeness between the fans and their club. How can they cheer for strangers, not from the area who don’t “understand” their club.

How To Stop The Drain

Full disclosure, and fans of the blog will already be aware of this, but I’m no politician. And I’m certainly not involved with the FIGC in any way. But there are ways to stop this drain.

Mandating Youth inclusion is an obvious one, but not a popular one. The more money that becomes up for grabs in European competition especially, the more the game becomes about win at all costs. But rules ensuring minutes for Under 21 Italian prospects have been called for, especially from Fabio Capello. He’s called for a radical shift in mentality, youth academies to prioritise Italian talents, including mandated young players to be included in Serie A squads.

Reforming the loan system would aid Italian players. If clubs weren’t able to ship out their entire youth prospects to Serie B and Serie C teams because of a limit on loans, then they would have no choice but to keep them closer to the first team squad to maximise their investment in them.

The obvious next step would be to include B teams or reserve teams in their own league. Giving a competitive element to youth development and bridging the gap between academies and the first team. I’m not a fan of Juventus/Milan/Inter Reserves all playing down in Serie C, in vastly uncompetitive matches with semi-pro players that just want to chase them and kick them. Having a reserve league of their own would enable competitive games without the need for “win at all costs”.

Investment in academies is an option for Italian clubs too. Perhaps too much of a simple one, given the financial pain they’re all currently facing. But certainly an investment in the coaching structure that these academies would help to keep Italian players in the very academies that produce them.

Conclusion

Italy still produces outstanding footballers — the problem is keeping them. Without a serious change in mentality, investment, and opportunity, Serie A risks becoming a league that develops stars for others to enjoy. The exodus of Retegui, Leoni, Calafiori, and Coppolla might not be the end of an era — it could be the beginning of a very long drought.

15th Aug 2025
Giovanni Leoni: What Can Liverpool Expect

The news broke yesterday that Liverpool were continuing their PSR approved prolific spending spree and they’d aimed their cross hairs at Parma’s teenage centre half Giovanni Leoni. The 19 year old defender has risen quickly to prominence in Italy and while the top Serie A clubs were circling like sharks, none can match Liverpool’s spending power or the pull of the Premier League and we fully expect him to end up on Merseyside.

So the big question is for Liverpool fans: who is this kid and what can we expect from him? Well look no further, we’ve got all the information required for you to sound like you know your stuff down the pub this weekend.

Giovanni Leoni

Date of birth: 21st December 2006

Height: 6ft 2in

Position: Right sided centre back, right footed

Clubs: Padova (youth), Sampdoria, Parma (current)

International: Italy U19: 7 appearances

Overview

In winter 2024, the boy from Rome was loaned from Padova to Sampdoria in Serie B with an option to buy. His coach Andrea Pirlo quickly recognised his talent there commenting that he was “Sure he’d reach Serie A, he deserves it”.

In one of the more peculiar Italian transfer quirks, he was transferred to Sampdoria where he signed a three year contract on 25th June 2024. He then moved to Parma on 27th August 2024 following their promotion to Serie A.

Parma initially struggled in Serie A but when renowned former Inter centre back Christian Chivu came to the helm, they stepped up their survival fight and Leoni was named man of the match in hard fought 1-0 over the mighty Juventus. He was also widely acclaimed during a 2-2 against Inter where he ably defended Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram.

Come this summer, Inter appointed Chivu as manager and they immediately began circling Leoni, as well as Juventus and Milan. Italian football being what it is, Parma wanted more than the three could afford, they wanted to make a deal and yet again the English Premier League has some money to throw at the deal and another young promising Italian talent appears to be heading to England. Maybe he can open an Italian restaurant with Calafiori.

Giovanni Leoni, Strengths

Leoni is cool under siege, it was his performance against Juventus that showed this. He has great concentration, his positioning is fantastic and he reads the game well, as per every single Italian defender ever.

Paolo Maldini once said, “if I need to make a tackle then I’ve already made a mistake” and Leoni embodies this. He rarely dives in, he’ll stay touch tight to his man and tracks cut-backs very well.

Leoni doesn’t turn the ball over cheaply. It’s often simple and safe distribution, he’ll help the team build through the defensive midfield and he has an average of 87.7% pass completion rate in Serie A last season.

He has a high volume of blocks and emergency actions, showing his appetite for reading danger, how he recognises situations arising and can snuff them out. He’s a typical “Italian Centre Half” in that he reads the game, snuffs out attacks and plays simply out of defence.

He has a great temperament, making his Serie B debut at 16 years of age and Serie A at 17. He remains a set piece threat with two goals from corners to his name so far.

Areas to Improve

Of course, no defender is perfect – no matter how Italian – and a teenager will obviously have areas to improve. Leoni isn’t slow by any stretch of the imagination, but at Premier League tempo he’ll be stressed by runners across his shoulder. His improvement will be required in his angles and first step acceleration.

Despite his height (over 6 foot), Leoni’s aerial win rate lags behind his peers. It isn’t a lack of willing, however, it’s his strength and timing in the air that needs work. He couldn’t wish for a better mentor than he would find at Liverpool with van Dijk.

Finally, his distribution is short and safe. His stats show very low progressive passes and carries – at Liverpool he would need to add line-breaking passes or carries to suit Liverpool’s possession game.

What can Liverpool expect?

In the short term, if the move is completed, Leoni would initially suit Liverpool as a depth or rotation centre back. There would be immediate competence in deep-block defending, set piece value and low-risk distribution. Working alongside a dominant aerial partner and a ball progressing number 6 he would learn quickly and adapt well in the Premier League.

In the medium to long term, I would expect his progression to make him one of the better defenders in England. If he can work well on his ball progression and his aerial ability in addition to his existing defensive anticipation he could be the next big Italian centre half, in the Cannavaro mould.

Summary

So there you have it, Reds fans, you’re going to be getting (it seems) a very able and promising centre back. He’s capable and still has room to improve in his game. Italians don’t always settle in the UK, they find it tough, so that mental aspect will be interesting to see. It looks on the face of it that he would be resilient enough to cope, given he made his professional debut at 16 and his Serie A debut at 17.

You can never predict the future, but Leoni certainly has a bright future in the game, hopefully he can succeed in England.

13th Aug 2025
Fallen Giants: Sampdoria’s Scudetto and Decline

In the summer of 1991, as the giants of Milan, Turin, and Naples counted their trophies, a club from the Ligurian coast ripped up the script. Sampdoria — a team built not on superstars, but on friendship, vision, and sheer defiance — stunned Italy by winning the Scudetto. Led by the fiery genius of Roberto Mancini, the lethal instincts of Gianluca Vialli, and the quiet charisma of manager Vujadin Boškov, they conquered a league at the height of its golden era. But just as quickly as they rose, Sampdoria began to fall. Within a decade, the dream unraveled — a tale of missed chances, lost leaders, and the harsh reality of modern football. This is the story of how a family-built dynasty captured the heart of Italian football… and how it slipped away.

Traditionally, Genoa were always the more decorated club until this point, but in 1979 something happened in the city that would flip this on its head. Temporarily.

Born in Rome just before the Second World War, eventually settling in Genoa in 1955, Paolo Mantovani became a shipping magnate over his lifetime and, although originally a Lazio sympathiser, he became a fan of Sampdoria and would purchase the club he grew to love on July 3rd 1979. Mantovani transformed Sampdoria over his stewardship from a yo-yo club in Serie B into a European and Italian powerhouse – briefly.

Vujadin Boskov

Mantovani planned to operate the club completely differently to our previous article’s subject – Parma. His plan was to build Sampdoria up into an irresistible force. He was quoted as saying, “I don’t buy champions, I build them”. The change in Sampdoria was accelerated by the 1986 appointment of Vujadin Boskov. The Serbian manager would bring tactical discipline and strong man management. The Serb employed a straightforward, compact, disciplined 4-4-2 system – with emphasis on wide play and a lethal strike duo,

Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli celebrating together one of many times…

That duo was already in place at the club when Boskov was appointed, with Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli forming a deadly duo that would last until the summer of 2021 when Vialli was assistant to Mancini as Italy won the European Championships.

Mancini started his career with Bologna before making the move that would make him. He joined Sampdoria in 1982 and through his time there, he would go on to make over 400 appearances and score 130+ goals. He formed a deadly duo with Vialli when he joined in 1984 from Cremonese. Vialli would stay for 8 seasons and contribute over 80 goals in this period.

Those numbers might sound low, but for a club of Sampdoria’s stature, it was immense. The duo, nicknamed The Gemelli del Gol (the Goal Twins), did enough to fire Sampdoria to their first (and only) ever Scudetto. During that 1990/91 season, while it was still 2 points for a win and a 34 game season, Samp scored 57 goals on their way to securing the title, conceding only 24 goals on the way. During this season, they captured key wins like 2-0 away to Inter at the San Siro and 1-0 over Milan at home. The title was clinched on 19th May when they crushed Lecce 3-0.

The players celebrate with the fans after winning the 1991 Scudetto

Mancini and Vialli weren’t the only ones who were making a name for themselves in this team. A young goalkeeper by the name of Gianluca Pagliuca was impressing, on his way to becoming Italy’s number one. Attilio “Popeye” Lombardi was working away tirelessly on the wing and Pietro Vierchowod was a defensive rock known as Lo Zar.

It wasn’t just a Scudetto season for Sampdoria though, they would see European success with a 2-0 victory in the European Cup Winners Cup over Anderlecht in Gothenburg – Samp’s first European trophy. They would have an opportunity to add another to the collection next season.

During the 1991-92 season, Sampdoria would be the sole Italian representative in the European Cup – now the Champions League. Back in this era, only the champions of each nation made it into the cup. Sampdoria would open up with a two legged tie against Norwegian champions Rosenborg. They would be despatched easily with a 5-0 and 2-1 victory, making it 7-1 over the two legs.

Round 2 proved slightly trickier for the Italian champions, scraping through against Kispest Honved of Hungary. Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, they inspired themselves in the return leg into a 3-1 victory, narrowly getting into the Group Stage after a 4-3 aggregate win thanks to two goals from Vialli.

With the competition splitting into two groups of 4 for Round 3, effectively an 8 team Semi Final with the top team in each group making the final, Sampdoria were drawn with Red Star Belgrade, Anderlecht and Panathinaikos. Sampdoria progressed with relative ease, losing only once to Red Star, while winning 3 and drawing 2 matches. They topped the group 2 points ahead of Red Star and the only team in that group with a positive goal difference.

Sampdoria line up for the European Cup Final against Barcelona at Wembley

It remains their only European Cup Final appearance to date. The other half of the draw was somewhat trickier, with Dinamo Kiev, Benfica, Sparta Prague and Barcelona competing to face Sampdoria in the final. It probably comes as no surprise that Barcelona would progress from this group and face off against Samp in the final at Wembley Stadium in London.

The final at Wembley Stadium was the last to be held before the European Cup format was abolished and rebranded as the Champions League. Neither team had won the European Cup before so whoever would take away the trophy would become the 19th overall winner of the tournament.

A Sampdoria team featuring Pagliuca, Mancini, Vialli, Bonetti, Lombardo and Vierchowod would face a Barcelona team stacked with names such as Zubizaretta, Koeman, Ferrer, Guardiola, Laudrup and Stoitchkov. The expectation was that Johan Cruyff’s superstars would crush Sampdoria and their constant overpunching. Things in football rarely turn out as expected though and at the end of 90 minutes, the scores were locked at 0-0.

It would take something special to win this game, and unfortunately for Sampdoria it was provided by Ronald Koeman. In the 112th minute, he stepped up to lash in a spectacular and memorable free kick to break Italian hearts. Sampdoria and Mantovani had come so close to fulfilling the impossible dream, they’d got to the final hurdle and stumbled. A lot of eggs were put in this European basket and a 6th place Serie A finish meant the decline had started.

Boskov had declared the European Cup final would be his last hurrah and he’d be moving on. He would briefly return to Sampdoria a few years later, but the magic had gone. Vialli was sold to Juventus that summer for a then World Record €12.5m and the team was weakening. Mancini would remain more loyal and stay until 1997 before moving on to Lazio.

On 14th October 1993, Paolo Mantovani passed away at the age of 63 with lung cancer. Sampdoria mourned. His second child Enrico Mantovani would step into the role of President and vowed to continue his fathers legacy. However, during these years, fortunes at the club began to slip away. It’s hard to compete with the big superpower clubs just once, but to sustain it with a “family atmosphere” and hard work is damned near impossible. Enrico did recognise this and would add Jurgen Klinsmann, Giusseppe Signori and Vincenzo Montella to the ranks. They would win the Coppa Italia – their 4th – in 1994 while finishing third in the league under the enigmatic Sven Goran Eriksson.

However, gradually, the core of the team was sold, Pagliuca went, as did Lombardo and Vierchowod and by 1997 Eriksson had gone to Lazio and taken Mancini with him. The club was gradually losing its identity, the management door was a revolving one and eventually, following a 2-2 draw at Bologna in 1999, Sampdoria were relegated to Serie B for the first time in 17 seasons. After the death of Paolo Mantovani the club appeared to gradually lose its direction, it became harder to compete with the other Northern powerhouse clubs like Juventus, Inter and Milan.

Sampdoria were briefly relegated earlier this year

Since then, Sampdoria have spent some time bouncing around between A and B, they did briefly return to Europe in 2010 but this soon collapsed after the sales of Cassano and Pazzini. The club has continued on its downward curve and this season were finally relegated to Serie C, before being given a slight reprieve. Thanks to the difficulties of Brescia, and their subsequent points deduction Samp got a second chance at survival with a relegation play off against Salernitana. They would win the tie, sort of, with the second leg being abandoned with them 4-0 up on aggregate thanks to protesting Salernitana fans. Hopefully this is used as a chance for Sampdoria to kick on and return to their former glory.

Before getting a reprieve from Salernitana and Brescia

Wherever they are now, it’s hard to argue that Sampdoria’s Scudetto is one of the more romantic ones in Serie A. A true underdog story and a romantic notion that a team could be built rather than bought. Mancini and Vialli’s friendship is legendary in the sport and the Samp way was to mix grit and determination with style and flair, unique for a non-giant. Sampdoria’s fall serves as a cautionary tale of poor succession planning and the dangers of losing the visionaries within the club. But I like to think of their legacy as per Vialli’s words when talking about Sampdoria, “Winning with friends is worth more than winning alone”. And isn’t that what football’s about?

21st Jul 2025
Evan Ferguson to Roma: The perfect move for both?

When a striker has a difficult spell in England at West Ham, you could be forgiven for thinking that the game is up. Destined to become a journeyman bagging a few here and there at different spells in lower/mid table clubs. That’s what Gianluca Scamacca must have thought anyway, until he came to work with Gian Piero Gasperini at Atalanta.

Fast forward a season and the Italian’s career was resurrected, he was back in the national team and he owed it all to Gasperini. At least that’s what I read into his words, “If I’m here so much it’s thanks to him, this year he helped me and managed to strike the right chords to make me click, I owe a lot to him.”

Now, Gasperini looks all set to hook up with Irish striker Evan Ferguson. The 20 year old is far from a washed up journeyman, but his career has drifted somewhat since a breakthrough season at Brighton when he score 10 goals in 25 matches as an 18 year old prodigy. Ferguson started the next season on fire and scored a memorable hat trick against Newcastle, but would only score 3 more goals that season as injuries hampered his progress.

Last season he managed only 1 goal in 13 matches before being loaned to West Ham in a spell which can only be described as disastrous. That’s not entirely down to him of course, West Ham’s second half of last season was only mildly better than their start and they were woefully inadequate as a team. It probably wasn’t the best environment for confidence building.

And confidence building will be key for a player who was once touted at €120m and now looking at significantly less. Injuries affected his confidence on the pitch, but also in himself, with the player seeming reluctant to fly into tackles or stretch himself physically.

Ferguson is physically strong, he has a bit of the Alan Shearer about him. A big lad, strong, physical, two footed finisher who has a strong header on him too. In fact Shearer himself described him as a striker with, “no obvious weakness”.

Physicality will serve him well in a Gasperini system, he’ll need to be ready to engage the defensive line early and he’ll need to be willing to run. As Scamacca himself said, “The coach hammered me day after day, told me how to move on the pitch, but also I started to get into good physical shape and so could give him what he wanted.”

Scamacca isn’t the only striker Gasperini has moulded either, one standout example from Atalanta shows how the relationship with Gasp can create a monster that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. Rasmus Hojlund had the eye of a lot of European clubs after his breakout season at Atalanta, Gasperini sharpened what was raw talent and got the best out of the young Dane. Manchester United have struggled to replicate this.

There’s no doubt at all that if Evan Ferguson can gain consistent minutes in a Roma shirt that his confidence will improve. Gasperini has a tried and trusted system that nurtures young attacking talent, while demanding a lot from them. Ferguson already aligns with some of Gasperini’s trademarks, he’s a strong and physical lad which will aid him in the press, something Brighton did effectively with him too.

Further to that, he provides an aerial headache for defences, he can provide that target man focus when required. Not only this, but he’s more than capable of drifting wide and linking with Wing Backs.

So where does he need to improve? First and foremost it’s with his fitness. It might be harsh to judge a player on their injuries, but if he can stay in shape and stay fit, that’s the first hurdle jumped.

Serie A’s defenders are significantly tougher and more physical than Premier League defences, who tend to focus more on their possession play than out of possession discipline. This will take some adapting in Italy.

For me, his best chance of success will come in a dual striker system, the 3-4-1-2, rather than the 3-4-2-1. Partnering Ferguson with the likes of Dovbyk will complement aerial strength with sharp finishing.

Personally, I like Evan Ferguson, if you hadn’t been able to puzzle that out yet. This was a kid once valued very highly by Brighton and was attracting interest from all over Europe. Roma have the chance to land an absolute bargain. Moving to Italy has proven to be a breath of fresh air for so many stagnating in the Premier League, just look at the form of Scott McTominay.

I would say Ferguson has the potential to be significantly better than the Scot and if he can progress with Roma, you may just have them as an outside bet this season…

18th Jul 2025
Milan – Como in Australia. Has Serie A lost its mind?

In 2026 the Winter edition of the Olympic Games will be held in Milano-Cortina, Lombardy. Great news for the area. Or so you’d think. When the opening ceremony of the tournament is held in February, there was only one venue that was deemed sufficient. The Stadio San Siro was the perfect choice for the opening ceremony. With one exception. Milan are due to play host to Como on February 8th.

In any other ordinary “non-batshit crazy” league, they might move the game to a different stadium in the same area. Or they could swap the home and away matches around and avoid the clash altogether. What did the FIGC decide? Go to fucking Australia and play football.

I’m all for Serie A increasing its commercialisation. I’m a huge fan of Italian football and have long held belief that everyone else should love it as much as me. It’s why I have a blog. But what the hell are they thinking here?

It is the middle of the season, not a pre-season tour. Milan and Como will be travelling some 20 hours to Perth (if reports are to be believed) and then, suffering with immense jetlag, will proceed to “put on a show” for the Australian fans.

Then, when that’s all done – in the Aussie summer by the way – they’ll fly another 20 hours back to Italy to continue their season. So a half arsed show for a few extra quid. Is this worth the pressure on the players and the squads?

If Serie A really want to push their product into a new region, they firstly need to choose a country where they can actually tune into the games at a reasonable hour, like when they’re awake. East Coast of America is an option, Saudi Arabia too. Why Australia?

It is completely baffling to me why they’ve made this particular choice. The Supercoppa is already in Saudi Arabia, so why not send Milan and Como over there to increase the presence of Italian football, cement relationships and show some faith to the country. Sure, Saudi Arabia comes with other legitimate criticisms and questions, but if the FIGC has already decided to do it, then why not go all in?

The travel to Australia, the cost of the teams heading there, the affect it has on the playing squad out there and the disruption to the calendar just doesn’t seem worth it.

If Australia really is a target audience for Serie A and the FIGC, then why are they going out for one match in the middle of February? Why don’t they go out there for 2/3 games with a few teams over a longer period? Why don’t they take the Supercoppa there? Why don’t they go for a pre-season competition?

The whole idea feels half baked. A quick decision that’s been taken hastily. Have Milan or Como agreed to this willingly? What’s the compensation they’re getting for agreeing to this?

And where does it stop? Is this a green light from UEFA for more matches to be hosted in foreign commercial paradises? The Premier League will be following this debacle closely and you can bet your bottom dollar that within two years we’ll be watching Fulham v Wolves in Charlotte, NC.

It smacks of a big comedic bag with a dollar sign on it has been handed around somewhere (allegedly of course), and everyone’s nodding along without really thinking of the consequences. Not just the consequences for the teams involved, but for the integrity of top level European football. It’s going to have far reaching consequences and Milan v Como in Perth is going to be ground zero for it.

10th Jul 2025
Legends of Calcio: Il Divin Codino, Roberto Baggio

How often can one man unite the whole of Italy? How often does a player play for Juventus, Milan and Inter and become universally admired by their fans? How often does a man miss a crucial penalty in a World Cup final and have his legend grow? How often can one man be told his career is over due to injury and still continue?

Welcome to the crazy world of Roberto Baggio, Il Divin Codino (the divine ponytail). The sale of Roberto from Fiorentina to Juventus in 1990 was so poorly received that it led to rioting, looting and 50 people being hospitalised. A fall out with Marcelo Lippi at Inter would lead to the manager being sacked. A man who was the idol of Zinedine Zidane.

Baggio was born in Caldogno in 1967 and made his debut in Calcio at the tender age of 15 for Vicenza. He would stay with Vicenza for three years, playing in 47 games and bagging 15 times in that time.

A move to Florence followed and he would impress so much there in his 5 years that his transfer to Juventus inspired rioting and looting, with the move seen as a betrayal by the player and the club. After 55 goals in 136 appearances there, it’s easy to see why the fans were so upset to lose Baggio.

He truly announced himself to World football when in 1989 while playing for Fiorentina against Napoli, he outshone Maradona with a dazzling solo goal. This all came after his first career ending injury, too. During a game in 1985 at the age of only 18, Baggio experienced a major ACL and meniscus tear so brutal that doctors said he’d never play again.

Baggio takes on Maradona

It was his determination and will to come back and succeed that endeared him to La Viola fans, and would lead to their outrage at his sale. Baggio would later tell JuveFC.com that he “didn’t want to leave Florence. I felt indebted to this city, these people, these fans”.

When Baggio returned to Florence with Juventus in a Coppa Italia match, the anger over his move only intensified when he refused to take a penalty and his replacement subsequently missed.

However, his time at Juventus wasn’t all controversy, it was mainly illuminating moments. Il Divin Codino scored 115 goals in 200 matches for the Old Lady and would win the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup during a spell that also saw him win the Ballon D’Or.

Roberto Baggio scored 115 times for Juventus

In that 1993 UEFA Cup final against Borussia Dortmund he would score two goals and assist his namesake Dino in a 3-1 first leg win away to the German side. Dino would say of Roberto after the game, “Roberto could change the game in an instant, he is our leader without shouting”.

Roberto Baggio would truly make his name a year later, however, with a virtuoso performance in the 1994 World Cup in USA. Italy would start the tournament very slowly, with a 1-0 loss to Ireland in their first game before a narrow 1-0 win against Norway (in which Sacchi was criticised for subbing off Roberto) followed by a 1-1 draw with Mexico that saw Italy scrape through to the second round.

It was in the second round that Il Divin Codino burst into life. With Italy trailing Nigeria 1-0 in the Round of 16 game, Baggio stole an equaliser in the 88th minute, before scoring the winning penalty in Extra Time.

Again, in the 88th minute of the Quarter Final against Spain, Baggio took control of the game, slaloming through defenders to score a sensational winner that put Italy through to the Semi Final against surprise package Bulgaria. Baggio scored twice in the first half to secure a 2-1 win for the Azzurri, the second being a classic Baggio run and finish – poetry in motion.

Unsurprisingly playing on an injury, Baggio had carried Italy to the final with one leg. Arrigo Sacchi said after this game, “He played like an angel with the knees of an old man”.

All that was left to complete the legend of Baggio was for the Ballon D’Or holder to carry Italy to World Cup triumph in the final against Brazil.

A cagey affair, the final went the distance, going to a penalty shoot out after a 0-0 draw. It was the first ever World Cup final to be decided on penalties and with Brazil having missed one and Italy having failed twice, it all rested on Roberto Baggio to keep the dream alive.

In truth, even if he had scored, Brazil would’ve won by scoring the next kick, but it never got there. Roberto skied his penalty high above the goal and into the stand behind the goal. Later Baggio would say, “I failed. But only those who have the courage to take a penalty can miss them”.

Italy’s Roberto Baggio hangs his head after missing the decisive penalty during the 1994 World Cup Final

Despite the miss, Baggio had garnered global admiration for dragging Italy to that final almost single handedly. Lothar Matthaus of Germany and Inter said afterwards, “He was magical, like Maradona in 86, but with worse luck”. World Cups aren’t just about who wins them, they’re about the players who light them up, and Baggio had certainly done that. Baresi said, “Roberto was the World Cup, without him we were half the team”.

Baggio returned to Italy and would play for Milan between 1995-1997, winning the Scudetto again. After notching 19 goals in 67 games for them, he moved to Bologna to improve his chances of appearing in France 98. Scoring 22 goals in 33 appearances there succeeded in getting him on the plane to France where he would score his last goal for Italy in a 2-1 win over Austria.

Roberto Baggio for Inter Milan

That form earned him a transfer to Inter Milan, where he would score 17 times in 59 games, including two on the last day of the season against Parma to secure a 2-0 win and Champions League football for Inter. This all came after a fall out with coach Marcello Lippi who was sacked after the game, showing the influence of the Divine Ponytail in club decisions.

Baggio’s final career move was to Brescia where he spent 4 seasons until retiring in 2004. He had scored 45 goals in 101 appearances by this point including a sublime lob from outside the area against Juventus at the age of 34. He helped Brescia to qualify for Europe and mentored a young Andrea Pirlo during his time there, cementing his cult status among Calcio fans.

Upon his retirement, Roberto Baggio had scored 288 goals in 643 Serie A matches, along with 27 goals in 56 games for the Azzurri. He had played for the three biggest teams in Italy who were also the biggest enemies. He had cost Italy a World Cup that he nearly won them. And yet everyone loved him. Baggio was a symbol of the beauty of football above all else. He was a symbol of the decadent days of Calcio in the 90s. He was a symbol of artistry, humility and perseverance. He inspired a generation of fantasisti with Totti, Del Piero and Cassano all citing him as an influence.

The San Siro, a fitting venue for Roberto Baggio’s last ever game

Perhaps the best way to sum up Roberto Baggio is with the words of Italian journalist Gianni Mura, “Roberto Baggio is not a footballer. He is an idea”.

5th Jul 2025