Football in Italy

Football is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup four times (1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006), trailing only Brazil (with five). Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful footballing nation in Europe.

History

Illustration of a game of Calcio Fiorentino from 1688

Harpastum and Calcio Fiorentino

Other forms of football were played in Italy in ancient times, the earliest of which was Harpastum, played during the times of the Roman Empire.^[1] This game may have also been influential to other forms throughout Europe due to the expansion of the Empire, including Medieval football. From the 16th century onwards, Calcio Fiorentino, another code of football distinct from the modern game, was played in the Piazza Santa Croce in Florence.^[2] Some famous Florentines were amongst players of the game, particularly the Medici family including Piero, Lorenzo and Alessandro de' Medici.^[2] As well as Popes such as Clement VII, Leo XI and Urban VIII^[2] who played the game in the Vatican. The name calcio ("kick") was later adopted for football in Italy.

Italian football is born: Genoa

The modern variation of the game was brought to Italy during the 1880s. The title of the first Italian football club is a controversial one, the most commonly cited in popular history is Genoa Cricket and Football Club who were formed as a cricket club to represent England abroad, founded by Englishmen in 1893. Three years later in 1896 a man named James Richardson Spensley arrived in Genoa introducing the football section of the club and becoming its first manager.^[3]

However, evidence exists to suggest that the first club may have been from Turin. Edoardo Bosio, a merchant worker in the British textile industry had visited England and experienced the game. He returned to Turin in 1887 and was motivated to help spread football in his homeland. He founded Torino Football and Cricket Club that year while Nobili Torino ("Turin Nobles") soon followed.^[4] The second club bore the name of noble because it continued the Duke of the Abruzzi and Alfonso Ferrero di Ventimiglia (who would later become a president of FIGC^[5]). The two merged in 1891 to form Internazionale Football Club Torino,^[6][7] By 1898 the rival federation FIGC had been formed, with its center originally in Turin and the first two presidents as Mario Vicary and Luigi D'Ovidio.

FIGC created the Italian Football Championship with the four founder clubs been; Genoa, FBC Torinese, Ginnastica Torino and Internazionale Torino. The first competition of which was held at Velodromo Umberto I in Turin on 8 May 1898 and was won by Genoa. While it was common for clubs to compete in both FIGC and FNGI competitions early on,^[7] the titles won in the FIGC championship are the only ones officially recognised by the modern day league.^[8]

National championship

A first national competition organized by the Italian Federation of Gymnastics (F.N.G.I.) was played in 1896 and won by the S. Udinese G.S. team from Udine (north east Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region). In 1897, a second national gymnastic-football tournament was staged by the FNGI and was won by S.G. Torinese. In 1898 the Federation Italienne du Football (FIF – FIGC) was finally formed and the first national championship was organized, with regional tournaments and playoffs. This is considered to be the first proper national football championship and was won by Genoa.

National team

The Italian national team, called Azzurri or squadra azzurra for their blue shirts, are the second-most successful national team in the world. During the 1970s to early 1990s Italy became famous for their catenaccio, thus heralding a long line of world class defenders such as Virginio Rosetta, Pietro Rava, Carlo Parola, Giacinto Facchetti, Armando Picchi, Gaetano Scirea, Antonio Cabrini, Claudio Gentile, Franco Baresi, Giuseppe Bergomi, Ciro Ferrara and Paolo Maldini.

Their honours include:

• 4 FIFA World Cups
• 1 European Football Championship
• 1 Olympic Gold Medal
• 5 European Championships U21
• 3 European Championships U18
• 2 European Championships U16
• 7 Summer Universiades
• 8 World Military Championships
• 1 European Futsal Championship

They have been finalists in:

• 2 World Cups
• 1 European Championship
• 2 Bronze medals at Olympic Games
• 2 European Championship U21
• 1 European Championship U19
• 4 European Championship U18
• 3 European Championship U16
• 2 Summer Universiades
• 4 World Military Championships

World Champions Squads

Italy squad – 1934 FIFA World Cup Winners (1st Title) GK Cavanna • GK Combi (c) • GK Masetti • DF Allemandi • DF Caligaris • DF Monzeglio • DF Rosetta • MF Bertolini • MF Castellazzi • MF Ferraris • MF Monti • MF Pizziolo • MF Varglien • FW Arcari • FW Borel • FW Demaria • FW Ferrari • FW Guaita • FW Guarisi • FW Meazza • FW Orsi • FW Schiavio • Coach: Pozzo

Italy squad – 1938 FIFA World Cup Winners (2nd Title) MF Andreolo • FW Bertoni • FW Biavati • GK Ceresoli • MF Chizzo • FW Colaussi • MF Donati • FW Ferrari • FW Ferraris • DF Foni • MF Genta • MF Locatelli • GK Masetti • FW Meazza (c) • DF Monzeglio • GK Olivieri • MF Olmi • FW Pasinati • MF Perazzolo • FW Piola • DF Rava • MF Serantoni • Coach: Pozzo

Italy squad – 1982 FIFA World Cup Winners (3rd Title) 1 Zoff (c) • 2 Baresi • 3 Bergomi • 4 Cabrini • 5 Collovati • 6 Gentile • 7 Scirea • 8 Vierchowod • 9 Antognoni • 10 Dossena • 11 Marini • 12 Bordon • 13 Oriali • 14 Tardelli • 15 Causio • 16 Conti • 17 Massaro • 18 Altobelli • 19 Graziani • 20 Rossi • 21 Selvaggi • 22 Galli • Coach: Bearzot

Italy squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup Winners (4th Title) 1 Buffon • 2 Zaccardo • 3 Grosso • 4 De Rossi • 5 Cannavaro (c) • 6 Barzagli • 7 Del Piero • 8 Gattuso • 9 Toni • 10 Totti • 11 Gilardino • 12 Peruzzi • 13 Nesta • 14 Amelia • 15 Iaquinta • 16 Camoranesi • 17 Barone • 18 Inzaghi • 19 Zambrotta • 20 Perrotta • 21 Pirlo • 22 Oddo • 23 Materazzi • Coach: Lippi

European Champions players

Italy squad – UEFA Euro 1968 Winners (1st Title) 1 Albertosi • 2 Anastasi • 3 Anquilletti • 4 Bercellino • 5 Burgnich • 6 Bulgarelli • 7 Castano • 8 De Sisti • 9 Domenghini • 10 Facchetti (c) • 11 Ferrini • 12 Guarneri • 13 Juliano • 14 Lodetti • 15 Mazzola • 16 Prati • 17 Riva • 18 Rivera • 19 Rosato • 20 Salvadore • 21 Vieri • 22 Zoff • Coach: Valcareggi

European competitions for clubs

• 12 UEFA European Cups won in 26 finals (first with Spain)
• 7 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups won in 11 finals (first is England with 8/13)
• 9 UEFA Cups won in 15 finals (first)
• 9 UEFA Super Cups won in 12 finals (first)
• 8 Intercontinental/World Club Cups (first is Argentina/Brazil with 9)

In Total:

• Italy, 37 cups and 66 finals (first)

UEFA Champions League

The following teams have advanced to elimination rounds in the UEFA Champions League.

• Sampdoria (1991–92 – Runners up)
• Milan (1992–93 – Runners up, 1993–94 – Champions, 1994–95 – Runners up, 2002–03 – Champions, 2003–04 – Quarter-finals, 2004–05 – Runners up, 2005–06 – Semi-finals, 2006–07 – Champions)
• Juventus (1995–96 – Champions, 1996–97 – Runners up, 1997–98 – Runners up, 1998–99 – Semi-finals, 2002–03 – Runners up, 2004–05- Quarter-finals, 2005-06 – Quarter-finals)
• Internazionale (1998–99 – Quarter-finals, 2002–03 – Semi-finals, 2004–05 - Quarter-finals, 2005-06 – Quarter-finals, 2009–10 – Champions)
• Lazio (1999–2000 – Quarter-finals)
• Roma (2006–07 – Quarter-finals, 2007–08 – Quarter-finals)

References

See also

• Italy at the team sports international competitions