Today Serie A no longer holds the prestigious position it once did, but at one time the legends in the squad were the fear of opponents around the world.
In the 90s of the last century, Serie A was the gathering place of the world’s football elite. With formidable strength and attraction, Italian football completely dominated the Champions League in the early years. For 6 consecutive seasons since the European Cup was renamed Champions League, Italian football has always had a representative team in the final.
At that time, Serie A only had 18 clubs, more than half of which played in the finals such as Juventus, Inter, AC Milan, Parma or Lazio…
Legends like Diego Maradona, Gianluigi Buffon, Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro, Zinedine Zidane… created the great squad of Italian football through the ages.
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon
Speaking of the “keeper” position, Italian football has two names that deserve to be in the greatest team of all time: Dino Zoff and Gianluigi Buffon, but Buffon is the goalkeeper who holds the record for the most appearances. and kept the most clean sheets in Serie A.
Buffon made his Serie A debut in 1995 with Parma at the age of 17. He went on to have an illustrious career spanning over 25 years with countless collective and individual titles.
Right back – Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini won everything while playing for AC Milan. The legendary Rossoneri has achieved an astonishing achievement of 7 Scudettos and 5 Champions League titles. Originally a left back, Maldini was always the first name added to the list every time AC Milan took the field from 1985 to 2009.
Right back – Paolo Maldini
In 2005, Milan decided to keep the number 3 shirt to honor this defender. After he retired, no other player would have the opportunity to wear that shirt. Milan also did the same thing with legendary Franco Baresi’s number 6 shirt.
Center back: Franco Baresi
The legendary number 6 of the Rossoneri, spent two decades in the AC Milan shirt. Franco Baresi and his teammates won 5 Scudettos and 3 Champions League titles.
Center back: Franco Baresi
Franco’s playing style combines intelligence and physical strength. The 1982 World Cup champion blocked attacks in Franco Baresi’s unique way, making viewers forget his relatively small figure. Franco Baresi was voted Milan’s “best player of the 20th century”.
Center back: Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro is the only defender to be named FIFA World Player of the Year. This player brought a bold, unique defensive style to Serie A.
Center back: Fabio Cannavaro
Cannavaro is one of the best central defenders in Serie A. However, the defining moment of his career was when the Italian national team won the World Cup championship in 2006.
Left back: Javier Zanetti
Versatile player Javier Zanetti played his first match for Inter Milan in 1995 and was captain as Jose Mourinho won the treble in 2010.
Left back: Javier Zanetti
The Argentine legend holds the record for the most foreign appearances in Serie A. Capable of taking on all defensive and midfield positions, Javier Zantti is an invaluable asset to every team he plays for.
Central midfielder: Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo is probably the best attacking midfielder in Serie A. He is one of the few players to have played for both Inter, AC Milan and Juventus.
Central midfielder: Andrea Pirlo
Pirlo is a midfielder with great skill, able to control the tempo of the game and get others involved. The man who won 2 Champions League titles and 6 Scudettos.
Andrea Pirlo was also an indispensable part of the Azzurri team that won the 2006 World Cup.
Left midfielder: Michel Platini
Michel Platini only played in Italy’s top league for 5 years, but his talent put him on most lists of Serie A’s greatest players.
Left midfielder: Michel Platini
The French player handles the ball with poise and can avoid cuts with ease. The three-time European Ballon d’Or winner inspired other Juventus teammates on the field, Platini and the Bianconeri won two Scudettos and their first European championship.
Right midfielder: Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane is one of the greatest playmakers of all time. The French-Algerian player can control the game as he pleases and won two titles in five years with Juventus.
Right midfielder: Zinedine Zidane
Zidane’s exploits with Juventus helped Zizou win the European Ballon d’Or in 1998. Zidane could overcome opponents and influence matches with the ease of an opera conductor.
In 2001, Zidane left Serie A to join Real Madrid for a record fee of 76 million Euros.
Left striker: Diego Maradona
In 1984, Diego Armando Maradona came to Napoli to play from Barcelona in 1984, completely changing the landscape of Italian football.
Left striker: Diego Maradona
Maradona’s Napoli club were immediately able to compete with their more prestigious rivals. Maradona tore through every defense in Serie A at the time and scored some of the best goals the tournament had ever seen.
El Pibe de Oro and the Naples team won two Scudettos in 1987 and 1990.
Right striker: Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti’s career is a story of love and loyalty. The AS Roma legend turned down many attractive salaries to stay with his beloved club.
Right striker: Francesco Totti
Totti scored 307 goals for the capital team in a 25-year playing career. Totti is also an excellent playmaker who can destroy defenses with a simple pass.
“Prince of Rome” went with the Giallorossi to the Scudetto in 2001. He was also one of the important players in Italy’s 2006 World Cup winning squad.
Striker: Alessandro Del Piero
Striker: Alessandro Del Piero
With 19 seasons with Juventus, it can be considered that Del Piero has completely devoted his youth to the Turin team.
Del Piero can play in any position in the striker line and easily adapts to any formation. His creativity and scoring ability helped him win six Scudettos and a Champions League title.
Alessandro Del Piero is Juve’s all-time top scorer with 290 goals.
The Calciopoli scandal destroyed the efforts of Del Piero and his teammates, they had to play in Serie B and were stripped of two titles in the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons.
While Juventus said goodbye to a series of pillars, Del Piero, along with heroes like Buffon, remained loyal at the club. Del Piero also played an important role in the Azzurri’s victory at the 2006 World Cup.