After Brazil, the Italian soccer team has won the most World Cups (alongside Germany). Italian soccer has had some great teams and players throughout its history. These are some of the great Italian soccer players to have played for the Azzurri.
Rossi was a great Italian striker and hero of the 1982 World Cup. Rossi turned the World Cup for Italy, particularly against Brazil in the 2nd round. Here, he scored a hat-trick against the World Cup favorites, which ensured a 3-2 win for Italy. In the semi-finals and final, Rossi scored three more goals and won the World Cup with Italy. Rossi ended the World Cup as the top goal-scoring player with the Golden Boot. In addition to this, Rossi was also the Golden Ball winner.
Cannavaro was a terrific Italian center-back who captained his country to FIFA World Cup glory in 2006. He played in all of Italy’s World Cup games, in which Italy conceded only a few goals. Cannavarao played 136 games for the Italian soccer team, a number only eclipsed by Buffon. Cannavaro played most of his club games with Parma and Juventus. He won two Serie A titles, a couple of Coppa Italia cups, and the UEFA Cup with those clubs.
Zoff was an Italian goalkeeper who played for the Azzurri from the late ’60s to the early 1980s. As Italy’s goalkeeper, Zoff played more than 100 games for his country. This included the 1982 World Cup, where Zoff was Italy’s World Cup-winning captain. Zoff also won the 1968 European Championship with the Italian soccer team. At the club level, Zoff was an influential goalkeeper for Juventus, where he won six Serie A titles. Zoff is regarded as one of the great goalkeepers of the 20th century and certainly Italy’s finest.
Meazza was a great Italian soccer player who played for Italy during the 1930s. Meazza was a striker and scored 33 goals for his country. These included goals in the 1934 World Cup, which the Italians won, and Meazza was awarded the Golden Ball.
In the 1938 World Cup, Meazza captained his country. Meazza scored against Brazil in the semi-final and was again at hand to take hold of the game against Hungary in the final. Italy and Meazza won a second World Cup during that tournament. At the club level, Meazza scored hundreds of goals for Inter Milan and won the Italian Serie A league three times.
Those are a few great Italian soccer players who donned Azzurri and played for the Italian national team. With them in their teams, the Italians won four World Cups. Equally, at club level, their teams also had plenty to cheer.
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