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151-412: England won the tournament after collecting six points by winning their first two matches, against Italy and France, and losing one to Brazil. Brazil were second with five points, a product of a win and two draws. Their 3–3 draw with Italy included two goals from then 22-year-old Alessandro Del Piero and one goal apiece from Romário and Ronaldo as well as one own goal from each of the teams. Del Piero

302-655: A scandal in Serie A , where some National team players such as Paolo Rossi were prosecuted and suspended for match fixing and illegal betting, the Azzurri qualified for the second round of the 1982 World Cup after three uninspiring draws against Poland , Peru , and Cameroon . Having been loudly criticized, the Italian team decided on a press black-out from then on, with only coach Enzo Bearzot and captain Dino Zoff appointed to speak to

453-625: A 1–0 win against Norway in New York and a 1–1 draw with Mexico at the RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. , Italy advanced from Group E based on goals scored among the four teams tied on points. During their round of 16 match at the Foxboro Stadium near Boston , Italy was down 0–1 late against Nigeria , but Baggio rescued Italy with an equaliser in the 88th minute and a penalty in extra time to take

604-715: A 1–1 draw, for their second European title and their first since 1968 . Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma also won the Player of the Tournament award, given to the best player of the tournament. On 16 July, all members of the European Championship-winning squad were awarded the Italian Order of Merit of Cavaliere . In October 2021, Italy participated in the UEFA Nations League Finals as hosts, and lost

755-411: A 26th time on 5 May 2002, the last match day of the season; Juventus won the title over Roma and Inter Milan by a single point, after a 2–0 away victory over Udinese, with goals from top-scorer Trezeguet and Del Piero. Del Piero managed 21 goals in all competitions, also scoring his 100th and 101st goals for Juventus that season, against Venezia , on 26 August 2001. Del Piero also helped Juventus reach

906-446: A 2–0 away loss against Wellington Phoenix . Del Piero scored his first goal for the club from a free-kick in 3–2 loss to Newcastle Jets on 13 October, in his first home game for Sydney. The match against Newcastle featured hero-cam, which allowed the viewer to track Del Piero's movements with one camera throughout the game. On 20 October, Del Piero scored the winning goal against Western Sydney Wanderers FC (1–0), making history with

1057-438: A 2–1 defeat to Italy. Despite two goals being ruled for offsides, a late headed goal from Alessandro Del Piero helped Italy to a 1–1 draw with Mexico, proving enough to advance to the knockout stages. Co-host country South Korea eliminated Italy in the round of 16 by a score of 2–1. The match proved controversial with members of the Italian team, most notably striker Francesco Totti and coach Giovanni Trapattoni , suggesting

1208-536: A 2–1 loss to Melbourne Victory in an Elimination final at Docklands Stadium on 18 April, courtesy of Gui Finkler 's injury time winner. On Sunday 10 August 2014, Del Piero captained the Hyundai A-League All Stars against his club of almost 20 years, Juventus, in Sydney, in front of over 55,000 people at ANZ Stadium . Del Piero was substituted off at the 63rd minute of the match for David Williams , to

1359-631: A 2–1 win over Brescia on 27 April 2003. In the UEFA Champions League, Juventus were placed in Group E alongside Newcastle United , Dynamo Kyiv , and Feyenoord . Del Piero opened up his account in European competitions that season when he scored his side's second goal in a 5–0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv on 24 September, after combining with Nedvěd and Mauro Camoranesi . On the next matchday, Juventus played host to Newcastle on 1 October and Del Piero hit

1510-506: A 3–2 loss to Slovakia . It was the first time Italy failed to win a single game at a World Cup tournament, and in doing so became only the third nation to be eliminated in the first round while being reigning World Cup champions. Marcello Lippi stepped down after Italy's World Cup campaign and was replaced by Cesare Prandelli , although Lippi's successor had already been announced before the tournament. At UEFA Euro 2012 , Italy finished second in their group behind Spain, which earned them

1661-414: A 3–2 win against Genoa . Del Piero finished the season as the all-time top scorer for Juventus, having scored over 250 goals in all competitions with the club, and having also made over 600 appearances in official matches for Juventus, breaking Scirea's appearance record. On 14 March 2010, Del Piero recorded his 300th and 301st career goals during a 3–3 draw with Siena, with the first two goals coming in

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1812-512: A 4–2 defeat of Hungary , with two goals by Gino Colaussi and two goals by Silvio Piola in the World Cup that followed. It is rumored that before the 1938 finals fascist Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini sent a telegram to the team, saying "Vincere o morire!" (literally translated as "Win or die!"). However, no record remains of such a telegram, and World Cup player Pietro Rava said when interviewed: "No, no, no, that's not true. He sent

1963-575: A brace and setting up Claudio Marchisio for the youngster's third goal of the season to end their run of seven winless matches in Serie A. Juventus then went on to defeat Lazio 2–0 and clinch the second place spot in Serie A over Milan, determined by their head-to-head record. On 17 July 2009, Del Piero extended his contract with Juventus by one more year until 30 June 2011 in Pinzolo while training for pre-season, thus practically ensuring that he would retire at

2114-438: A brace to help his club maintain the top spot in their group. Juventus advanced to the second group stage where the club managed to progress, along with Manchester United , on goal differential over FC Basel and Deportivo de La Coruña . Juventus then saw off Barcelona in the quarter-finals through an extra time goal by Marcelo Zalayeta , and faced Spanish opposition again in the likes of defending champions Real Madrid in

2265-414: A conspiracy to eliminate Italy from the competition. Trapattoni even obliquely accused FIFA of ordering the official to ensure a Korean victory so that one of the two host nations would remain in the tournament. The most contentious decisions by the game referee Byron Moreno were an early penalty awarded to South Korea (saved by Buffon), a golden goal by Damiano Tommasi incorrectly ruled offside , and

2416-521: A disappointing sixth place. Juventus did manage to reach the semi-finals of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League , losing out to eventual champions Manchester United. Following his serious injury, Del Piero underwent a muscle strengthening regime in order to adapt to the increasingly more physical and athletic demands of twenty-first century football, which allowed him to compensate for the loss of some of his pace and agility. Due to his dramatic weight gain and physical development during this period, as well as

2567-477: A friendly match being former England defender Gary Neville 's testimonial match. Del Piero was substituted after 65 minutes to a standing ovation from the United supporters. Juventus confirmed on 18 October 2011 that the 2011–12 Serie A would be Del Piero's last season with the club. The 2011–12 season under new manager Antonio Conte , his former Juventus teammate, saw Del Piero being used sparingly, and mainly as

2718-536: A hat-trick in a 0–4 away win over Atalanta . On the final weekend of the 2007–08 season , Del Piero scored a brace against Sampdoria in a 3–3 draw. These two goals were crucial, as it took him to 21 goals for the season, thus winning him the Capocannonieri prize in Serie A for the first time in his illustrious career, beating the likes of teammate David Trezeguet (20 goals) and Marco Borriello (19 goals), also matching his highest seasonal tally in Serie A since

2869-600: A historic moment for football in Australia, I wouldn't like to go into the details of the contract, but this does represent the largest professional sporting contract in Australian history and the numbers that have been discussed aren't too far off the mark." Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley said that this signing would be crucial for the growth of Australian Football, both economically and technically. Ian Crook , manager of Sydney FC, said he would build

3020-433: A joint career best of 21 goals in Serie A, and finished top scorer in the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League with 10 goals, one of which included a freekick and a hat-trick against Monaco in the semi-finals. With these goals, he helped Juventus to reach their third consecutive Champions League final , although Del Piero was not fully fit for the match, and Juventus were once again defeated, falling 1–0 to Real Madrid from

3171-596: A lap of honour around the pitch. This was Alessandro Del Piero's final Serie A appearance for Juventus. Del Piero's final match for Juventus was in the Coppa Italia Final on 20 May against Napoli, which ended in a 2–0 victory to the Neapolitans. Del Piero was substituted in the 67th minute for Vučinić as his Juventus career came to an end; he received a standing ovation from both the Juventus and Napoli fans. Following

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3322-449: A match against Milan at the San Siro . Del Piero also helped Juventus to reach the quarter-finals of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League , only losing out to eventual champions Liverpool . Several journalists and coaches believed that Del Piero was back to his best form in the 2005–06 Serie A , as he managed 12 goals in Serie A, and 20 goals in all competitions, helping Juventus to defend

3473-464: A new centre-forward Roberto Boninsegna , the team were able to come back to a World Cup final match after 32 years. They reached this result after one of the most famous matches in football history—the " Game of the Century ", the 1970 World Cup semifinal between Italy and West Germany that Italy won 4–3 in extra time, with five of the seven goals coming in extra time. They were later defeated by Brazil in

3624-407: A new part of the world where I can make a major contribution and help grow the game I love." After the announcement of the transfer to Sydney FC, Juventus wished good luck to their former captain. Francesco Totti and Filippo Inzaghi said they were saddened by his departure. Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow said: "The signing of Alessandro Del Piero is a big moment for this club and, we believe,

3775-443: A nine-point penalty from the match-fixing scandal, Juventus gained promotion to Serie A as Serie B champions; Del Piero finished the league campaign as the top scorer of the 2006–07 Serie B season, with 20 goals. During the season, Del Piero also managed his 200th goal with Juventus on 21 October 2006, in a 1–0 league victory over Frosinone . "Del Piero never really grows old." Following Juventus's return to Serie A, Del Piero

3926-500: A penalty awarded for a Hans-Peter Briegel foul on Bruno Conti . In the second half Paolo Rossi again scored the first goal, and while the Germans were pushing forward in search of an equaliser, Marco Tardelli and substitute Alessandro Altobelli finalised two contropiede counterattacks to make it 3–0. Paul Breitner scored home West Germany's consolation goal seven minutes from the end. Tardelli's screaming celebration after his goal

4077-580: A quarter-final tie against England. After a mostly one-sided affair in which Italy failed to take their chances, they managed to beat England on penalties. In the semi-final against Germany, two first-half goals by Mario Balotelli saw the Italians through to the final. In the final , Italy fell to a 4–0 defeat to Spain. During the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil, Italy reached the semi-finals, losing 7–6 on penalties to Spain. Italy did manage to beat Uruguay in

4228-518: A rematch of the 2006 World Cup final. The Azzurri were eliminated in the quarter-finals on penalties to eventual champions Spain. Within a week of the game, Roberto Donadoni's contract was terminated and Marcello Lippi was rehired as coach. Italy qualified for their first ever FIFA Confederations Cup held in South Africa in June 2009 by virtue of winning the 2006 World Cup. They won their opening match of

4379-578: A season with Delhi Dynamos FC in the Indian Super League . Del Piero has scored in every competition in which he has participated. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100 , a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA 's centenary celebrations. In the same year, he was also voted into the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll , a list of the 50 best European players of

4530-641: A single goal in their first five matches; however, they lost the semi-final in Naples to defending champion Argentina. Argentinian player Maradona, who played for Napoli , made comments prior to the game pertaining to the North–South inequality in Italy and the Risorgimento , asking Neapolitans to root for Argentina in the game. Italy lost 4–3 on penalty kicks following a 1–1 draw after extra time. Schillaci's first-half opener

4681-537: A standing ovation. In April 2015, Del Piero was named to Sydney FC's team of the decade and to the AFC team of the decade. Italy national football team The Italy national football team ( Italian : Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia ) has represented Italy in men's international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC),

1997 Tournoi de France - Misplaced Pages Continue

4832-432: A strike by Predrag Mijatović on 20 May. Domestic success, however, was achieved that season, after a tight battle with Inter Milan , as Juventus celebrated its 25th Serie A title over their Italian rivals, with Del Piero scoring a memorable and decisive individual match-winning goal during the controversial Derby d'Italia match. Del Piero also managed a goal in the 1997–98 Coppa Italia that season, helping Juventus to

4983-469: A substitute, because of the summer arrival of forward Mirko Vučinić from Roma. In the club's opening match of the season against Parma on 11 September, he assisted Simone Pepe 's goal in an eventual 4–1 home win. Del Piero scored his first goal in the new Juventus Stadium on 24 January 2012, in a 3–0 win over Roma in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia . Later in the season, Del Piero stated that he

5134-437: A telegram wishing us well, but no never 'win or die'." In 1949, 10 of the 11 players in the team's initial line-up were killed in a plane crash that affected Torino , winners of the previous five Serie A titles. Italy did not advance further than the first round of the 1950 World Cup , as they were weakened severely due to the air disaster. The team had travelled by boat rather than by plane, fearing another accident. In

5285-586: A third ( 1990 ) and a fourth ( 1978 ) place. Italy also won two European Championships ( 1968 , 2020 ), and appeared in two other finals of the tournament ( 2000 , 2012 ). Italy's team also finished as runners-up in the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions in 2022 , and in third place at both the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013 and at the UEFA Nations League in 2021 and 2023 . The team

5436-487: Is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker , although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. Since 2015, he has worked as a pundit for Sky Sport Italia . A technically gifted and creative supporting forward who was also a free-kick specialist , Del Piero won the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year award in 1998 and 2008 and received multiple nominations for

5587-561: Is considered one of the best Italian football players of all time by some. Italy hosted the 1934 World Cup, and played their first ever World Cup match in a 7–1 win over the United States in Rome . Italy defeated Czechoslovakia 2–1 in extra time in the final in Rome, with goals by Raimundo Orsi and Angelo Schiavio to achieve their first World Cup title. They achieved their second title in 1938 in

5738-631: Is known as gli Azzurri (the Blues), because Savoy blue is the common colour of the national teams representing Italy, as it is the traditional paint of the royal House of Savoy , which reigned over the Kingdom of Italy . In 1938, Italy became the first team to defend its World Cup title, and due to the outbreak of World War II , retained the title for a further twelve years. Italy had also previously won two Central European International Cups ( 1927–30 , 1933–35 ). Between its first two World Cup victories, Italy won

5889-456: Is the fans, you who are Juventus. That jersey that I loved and will always love, that I desired and respected ... From tomorrow I will no longer be a Juventus player, but I will always be one of you. Now a new adventure begins and I am as fired up as I was 19 summers ago." On 5 September 2012, Del Piero signed a two-year deal with Sydney FC . He was paid approximately AU$ 3.5 million for each of his first two seasons, and therefore became

6040-478: Is the joint fourth highest scorer for the Italy national team , with 27 goals, alongside Roberto Baggio , and behind only Silvio Piola with 30 goals, Giuseppe Meazza with 33 goals, and Luigi Riva with 35 goals; with 91 appearances for Italy between 1995 and 2008, he is also his nation's eleventh-most capped player of all-time . In his career Del Piero scored 462 goals. Del Piero was born in Conegliano , Veneto,

6191-492: Is the seventeenth highest UEFA Champions League all-time goalscorer , with 42 goals. Del Piero refused the board's offer to retire the No. 10 shirt in his honour, saying: "I've really had so much that I would never want it to be retired, this way, every child can dream one day of wearing it." On 30 June, Del Piero wrote an open letter to the Juventus fans thanking them for almost two decades of support, stating: "Above all what remains

1997 Tournoi de France - Misplaced Pages Continue

6342-449: The 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying . Their participation in the 1966 World Cup was ended by a 0–1 defeat at the hands of North Korea . Despite being the tournament favourites, the Azzurri , whose 1966 squad included Gianni Rivera and Giacomo Bulgarelli , were eliminated in the first round by the semi-professional North Koreans. The Italian team was bitterly condemned upon their return home, while North Korean scorer Pak Doo-ik

6493-458: The 1986 World Cup , but were eliminated by reigning European Champions, France, in the round of 16. In 1986, Azeglio Vicini was appointed as new head coach, replacing Bearzot. He granted a central role to players such as Walter Zenga and Gianluca Vialli , and conceded a chance to young players coming from the U21 team; Vialli scored goals that gave Italy a 1988 European Championship pass. He

6644-566: The 1992 European Championship , Vicini was replaced by former AC Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi , who brought a new style of play. In November 1993, FIFA ranked Italy first in the for the first time since the ranking system was introduced in December 1992. At the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Italy lost the opening match against Ireland 0–1 at Giants Stadium in New York City . After

6795-474: The 1995–96 season , Del Piero was awarded Baggio's No. 10 squad number , which had also previously belonged to Michel Platini , following his departure to A.C. Milan . Del Piero scored 6 goals and provided 10 assists in Serie A, although Juventus finished the season in second place behind Milan. Del Piero did manage to capture the Supercoppa Italiana in 1995 , over Parma, setting up Vialli's only goal of

6946-448: The 1998 World Cup , Italy booked a place at the final tournament after defeating Russia in a play-off , with Pierluigi Casiraghi scoring the winning goal in a 2–1 aggregate victory on 15 November 1997. After finishing first in their group and overcoming Norway in the second round, Italy faced a penalty shoot-out in the quarterfinals , for the third World Cup in a row. The Italian side, where Alessandro Del Piero and Baggio renewed

7097-419: The 1998–99 Serie A with a 2–1 defeat in the 1998 Supercoppa Italiana at the hands of Lazio , although Del Piero was able to score from a penalty. On 8 November 1998, Del Piero picked up a serious knee injury in the final minutes of a 2–2 draw with Udinese ; this kept him out of action for the remainder of the season, as he managed only 2 goals. The club struggled without him, finishing the league season in

7248-491: The 2000–01 Serie A title once again, this time to Roma . Juventus and Del Piero began the season strongly, and Del Piero scored the winner on his season debut against Napoli on 30 September, although he later suffered another injury and fell out of form, failing to score. On 18 February 2001, Del Piero broke his goal drought, scoring in an away win over Bari . Del Piero celebrated the goal by dedicating it to his father, who had recently died. Del Piero refound his form towards

7399-403: The 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification process, Italy finished undefeated after facing Romania , Georgia , Hungary and Lithuania . In the final tournament , a 2–0 victory against Ecuador with a double from Christian Vieri was followed by a series of controversial matches. During the match against Croatia , English referee Graham Poll incorrectly disallowed two regular goals resulting in

7550-503: The 2006 FIFA World Cup triumph was in a Coppa Italia match against Cesena on 23 August 2006. As Juventus played in the Serie B for the 2006–07 season, the Coppa Italia campaign became increasingly important for the club in order to achieve a UEFA Cup spot. Having been on vacation beforehand, Del Piero started on the bench. Juventus and Cesena were locked on 1–1 when Del Piero entered in the 74th minute and after nine seconds, he scored

7701-505: The 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals after beating Hungary 2–0 in Budapest . On 15 June 2023, Italy played the semi-final against Spain, losing 2–1. Three days later, Italy won the third-place final 3–2 against the Netherlands. Mancini's stay on Italy's bench ended two months later following his resignation. Luciano Spalletti was chosen as the new coach, and as of September 2023 he led

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7852-586: The Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year . A prolific goal-scorer, he is currently the second highest all-time Italian top-scorer in all competitions , with 346 goals, behind only Silvio Piola , with 390 goals; he is also the joint ninth highest goalscorer in Serie A history , with 188 goals, alongside Giuseppe Signori and Alberto Gilardino . After beginning his career with Italian club Padova in Serie B in 1991, he moved to Juventus in 1993, where he played for 19 seasons (11 as captain ), and holds

8003-559: The Bravo Award (as the best U-23 player in European Competitions), and placed 4th in the 1996 Ballon d'Or for the second consecutive year. Del Piero also captured his second Serie A title with Juventus that season, and helped lead Juventus to their second consecutive Champions League final , although he was unable to start the match due to injury. During the group stage, en route to the final, he helped Juventus to qualify for

8154-619: The Coppa Italia , and the UEFA Cup , scoring 5 goals, which all came in Serie A , as Juventus finished the season in second place in the league. The 1994–95 Serie A season saw Marcello Lippi take over as Juventus manager, as well as the introduction of a new team of directors, made up of Giraudo, Roberto Bettega , and Luciano Moggi ; Del Piero played a more prominent role for the club that season following Roberto Baggio 's injury in November against Padova . Del Piero temporarily took his place in

8305-518: The Coppa Italia final that season, although Juventus were defeated by Parma. Juventus's title success in 2002 enabled the club to automatically qualify for the UEFA Champions League the following season. Juventus began the 2002–03 season by winning the 2002 Supercoppa Italiana over Parma, with Del Piero scoring two goals, and Juventus were also able to successfully defend their Serie A title . Del Piero scored his 100th goal in Serie A in

8456-586: The Euro 2020 qualifying with ten wins in all ten matches, becoming only the sixth national side to qualify for a European Championship with a perfect record. On 17 March 2020, UEFA confirmed that Euro 2020 would be postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic . At the delayed Euro 2020, Italy finished top of Group A, ahead of Turkey , Switzerland , and Wales . Being one of the host nations, Italy played all three group games at Rome's Stadio Olimpico , and it became

8607-568: The FIFA World Rankings , in force since August 1993, Italy has occupied first place several times, in November 1993 and during 2007 (February, April–June, September), with its worst placement in August 2018 in 21st place. An early attempt to create an Italian national team occurred on 30 April 1899, when an Italian selection played a Swiss eleven, losing 0–2 in Torino . The team's first official match

8758-532: The Lev Yashin Award , given to the best goalkeeper of the tournament; he conceded only two goals in the tournament's seven matches, the first an own goal by Zaccardo and the second from Zidane's penalty kick in the final, and remained unbeaten for 460 consecutive minutes. In honour of Italy winning a fourth World Cup, members of the squad were awarded the Italian Order of Merit of Cavaliere . Marcello Lippi, who had announced his resignation three days after

8909-624: The Olympic football tournament ( 1936 ). After the majority of the team was killed in a plane crash in 1949, Italy obtained poor results in the 1950s, even failing to qualify for the 1958 World Cup . Failure to qualify for the World Cup did not happen again until the consecutive editions of 2018 and 2022 . However, the team was unbeaten from October 2018 to October 2021, and holds the world record for most consecutive matches without defeat (37). Italy has notable rivalries with other footballing nations, such as Brazil , France , Germany and Spain . In

9060-570: The Supercoppa Italiana , with 3 goals in 6 appearances. He is the club's top-scorer in Serie B , with 21 goals, and the club's second highest scorer in the Coppa Italia , with 25 goals, behind Pietro Anastasi . Alongside Giuseppe Signori and Alberto Gilardino , Del Piero is also the ninth highest all-time goalscorer in Serie A , and he is currently the joint all-time top scorer in the Supercoppa Italiana, alongside Samuel Eto'o , Andriy Shevchenko , and Carlos Tevez . As of April 2023, he

9211-494: The UEFA Champions League the following season. Before the season, Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri remarked that Del Piero would have as good a season, or an even better one, than the previous term. In August 2008, Del Piero announced that he would try to keep playing professional football with Juventus until he turned 40. Juventus were drawn into the same Champions League group as Real Madrid , and UEFA Cup winners Zenit Saint Petersburg . Del Piero marked Juventus's return to

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9362-515: The domestic league , Italy entered the 2006 World Cup as one of the eight seeded teams . Italy finished first in Group E with wins against Ghana and the Czech Republic and a draw with the United States. In the round of 16 , Italy secured a 1–0 victory over Australia with Francesco Totti scoring a penalty. Italy overcame Ukraine , 3–0, after taking an early lead through Gianluca Zambrotta and additional goals coming from Luca Toni . In

9513-423: The final 4–1. After losing to Belgium in the quarter-finals to qualify for the 1972 European Championship , this generation's cycle ended at the 1974 World Cup , where the team was eliminated in the group stage after a 2–1 loss against Poland in the last match of the group. Under the initial guide of Fulvio Bernardini and later that of head coach Enzo Bearzot , a new generation of Italian players came to

9664-488: The tournament against the United States, but subsequent defeats to Egypt and Brazil meant that they finished third in the group on goals scored (points level with the US and Egypt), and were eliminated. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, reigning champions Italy were unexpectedly eliminated in the first round , finishing last place in their group. After being held to 1–1 draws with Paraguay and New Zealand , they suffered

9815-627: The 1997–98 season. He became only the second Italian ever to win consecutive Capocannoniere titles in two different leagues – former Juventus and 1982 World Cup hero Paolo Rossi being the other. (Coincidentally, Rossi also won the Capocannoniere titles like Del Piero – first in Serie B and then in Serie A). On 26 July, Del Piero was awarded the Scirea Award. Juventus finished the 2007–08 Serie A season in third place, which allowed them to qualify for

9966-457: The 74th minute Rossi scored the winning goal, for a hat-trick , in a crowded penalty area to send Italy to the semifinals after one of the greatest games in World Cup history. Italy then progressed to the semi-final where they defeated Poland with two goals from Rossi. In the final on 11 July 1982, Italy met West Germany in Madrid . The first half ended scoreless, after Antonio Cabrini missed

10117-645: The Juventus Youth team to win both the 1994 Torneo di Viareggio , and the 1994 U-20 championship . Del Piero made his Serie A debut against Foggia on 12 September 1993 under Trapattoni, as a substitute, and he scored his first goal in his next game against Reggiana on 19 September, after coming off the bench once again. On his full debut for Juventus, he netted a hat-trick against Parma . After his promising performances, Del Piero began to be deployed with more continuity, and he managed 14 appearances for Juventus that season between youth matches , league matches,

10268-427: The Serie A title. His role at Juventus changed during his second season under Capello, who preferred to use him as an immediate-impact substitute. Due to his lack of playing time, Del Piero's relationship with Capello was often strained. On 10 January 2006, Del Piero became the all-time leading goalscorer for Juventus when he scored three times in a Coppa Italia match against Fiorentina, taking his total goal tally for

10419-684: The Turin club, making him the third–highest assist provider of all time in Serie A history , after Totti and Roberto Baggio. In addition to these records, Del Piero is also Juventus's top scorer and second highest appearance holder in the UEFA Champions League , behind only Buffon, with 44 goals in 92 appearances; he is also the top scorer and appearance holder for Juventus in European Competitions , with 50 goals in 125 appearances, in International competitions , with 54 goals in 131 appearances, and in

10570-597: The World Cup finals of 1954 and 1962 , Italy failed to progress past the first round, and did not qualify for the 1958 World Cup due to a 2–1 defeat to Northern Ireland in the last match of the qualifying round . Italy did not take part in the first edition of the European Championship in 1960 (then known as the European Nations Cup), and was knocked out by the Soviet Union in the first round of

10721-483: The World Cup triumph, was replaced by Roberto Donadoni . Italy qualified from their Euro 2008 qualifying group ahead of France. On 14 February 2007, Italy climbed to first in the FIFA World Rankings for the second time. At Euro 2008 , the Azzurri lost 3–0 to the Netherlands in the opening match of the group stage. The following game against Romania ended 1–1 thanks to a penalty save from Gianluigi Buffon . Italy would win their final group game against France 2–0,

10872-451: The appearance of the kit had not yet been made, so it was decided not to have a colour, which was why white was chosen. After two games, for a friendly against Hungary in Milan on 6 January 1911, the white shirt was replaced by a blue jersey (specifically Savoy azure )—blue being the border colour of the royal House of Savoy crest used on the flag of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946); the shirt

11023-464: The bronze medal in 1928 Summer Olympics , held in Amsterdam . After losing the semi-final against Uruguay , an 11–3 victory against Egypt secured third place in the competition. In the 1927–30 and 1933–35 Central European International Cup , Italy achieved first place out of five Central European teams, topping the group with 11 points in both editions of the tournament. Italy would also later win

11174-433: The calendar year, Del Piero received nominations for both the 1997 FIFA World Player of the Year , finishing sixth and the 1997 Ballon d'Or . Del Piero began the following campaign strongly by winning the 1997 Supercoppa Italiana , forming a strong offensive unit with Juventus teammates Zinedine Zidane in midfield, and newcomer Filippo Inzaghi upfront. The 1997–98 Serie A campaign was his best season yet, as he scored

11325-582: The club records for most goals (290) and appearances (705). During his time at the club, he won six Serie A titles, the Coppa Italia , four Supercoppa Italiana titles, the UEFA Champions League , the UEFA Super Cup , the UEFA Intertoto Cup , and the Intercontinental Cup . After leaving the club in 2012, he also spent two seasons with Australian side Sydney FC ; he retired in 2014, after

11476-667: The club to 185. The previous record holder was Giampiero Boniperti , with 182 goals. Del Piero also finished the season as the top scorer of the Coppa Italia , with 5 goals. Del Piero equalled José Altafini 's Serie A record of six goals as a substitute after scoring in the final minute of Juventus' final game of the 2005–06 season, before Juventus were forcibly relegated due to the Calciopoli scandal, also having their two most recent Serie A titles revoked. After Juventus were demoted to Serie B and their two most recent scudetti were revoked, Del Piero pledged that he would stay to captain

11627-403: The club with which he started his professional career. During his renewal, he said: "I am happy at Juventus and we are competitive. I want to keep playing for as long as I can and I'm certain that for at least two more years I will be at the top level." On 14 February 2010, Del Piero marked his 445th Serie A appearance, breaking the all-time club record previously held by Boniperti, with a brace in

11778-465: The club's success during the mid to late 90s, Del Piero, along with several other Juventus players and staff members, was claimed of being involved in illegal performance-enhancing drug abuse; after a lengthy investigation, the club's staff members incriminated were eventually cleared of all doping allegations in 2005. During the next season under new manager Carlo Ancelotti , Del Piero primarily served as an assist-man, providing 14 assists in Serie A,

11929-514: The competition with a match-winning free kick to seal a home win against Zenit. On 21 October, Del Piero netted a notable goal as Juventus defeated Real Madrid 2–1 in Turin, scoring with a first-time, curling strike from distance, in the fifth minute of play. On 5 November 2008, Juventus and Real Madrid squared off at Santiago Bernabéu in the Champions League . The Italians won 0–2, their first away win against Madrid since 1962, and Del Piero

12080-437: The controversial staffetta ( lit.   ' relay ' ) between Mazzola and Rivera from 1970, held the eventual World Champions and host team, France , to a 0–0 draw after extra time, but lost 4–3 in the shoot-out. With two goals scored in this tournament, Baggio remains the only Italian player to have scored in three different FIFA World Cup editions. Two years later, at the Euro 2000 , with four consecutive victories

12231-505: The end of the season to take charge of the Italy national team. After Euro 2004, Juventus manager Marcello Lippi was replaced by Fabio Capello . Capello was not convinced of Del Piero's fitness levels, and frequently benched him in favour of the younger, new offensive signing Zlatan Ibrahimović . Despite his limited playing time, Del Piero still managed to score 14 goals, as Juventus won their 28th league title , due to his overhead assist to teammate David Trezeguet, which proved decisive in

12382-483: The end of the season, although he was unable to help Juventus capture the Serie A title, despite scoring a goal in a 2–2 draw against Roma. Del Piero was named Juventus captain upon Lippi's return to Juventus, and he formed a formidable offensive partnership with French striker David Trezeguet , who joined in 2000, and Czech playmaker Pavel Nedvěd , who arrived in 2001. Del Piero scored 16 goals and provided several assists, as Juventus were crowned Serie A champions for

12533-514: The final 2–1 against France (to a golden goal in extra time) after conceding an equalising goal just 30 seconds before the expected end of injury time. After the defeat, coach Dino Zoff resigned in protest after being criticized by AC Milan club president and politician Silvio Berlusconi . Giovanni Trapattoni took charge of the team in July 2000 following the resignation of Dino Zoff. Playing in Group 8 of

12684-401: The final, although they were defeated by Parma in the 1995 UEFA Cup Final . During this time, Del Piero earned the nickname Pinturicchio due to the similarity between his own technical and tactical characteristics, and Baggio's creative style of play. This nickname arose when former president Gianni Agnelli compared the emerging talent Del Piero to the renaissance artist Pinturicchio, who

12835-432: The first goal in the first Sydney Derby . On 19 January 2013, Del Piero scored four goals and also provided one assist in Sydney's 7–1 win against Wellington Phoenix; this was the first time he had scored more than three goals in a single match, and after being substituted, the fans gave him a standing ovation. On 10 February, Del Piero broke the club's record for most goals in a single season, scoring his eleventh goal of

12986-445: The first team alongside Gianluca Vialli and Fabrizio Ravanelli , flourishing at the opportunity given to him, and Juventus went on to claim their first scudetto in nine years. Del Piero scored 8 goals in Serie A that season, including a match-winning chipped volley against Fiorentina . Del Piero was also able to achieve a rare double, and he captured the 1994–95 Coppa Italia with Juventus, defeating their season rivals Parma in

13137-510: The first team in European Championship history to win each group stage match without conceding. In the round of 16, Italy defeated Austria 2–1 at Wembley Stadium after extra time. In the quarter-finals, Italy secured a 2–1 victory over Belgium , before beating Spain on penalties in the semi-finals. In the final , on 11 July 2021, Italy won the European Championship defeating hosts England at Wembley Stadium on penalties after

13288-540: The first time that Italy had failed to qualify for the World Cup since 1958 . Following the match, veterans Andrea Barzagli , Daniele De Rossi and captain Gianluigi Buffon all declared their retirement from the national team. On 15 November 2017, Ventura was dismissed as head coach, and on 20 November 2017, Carlo Tavecchio resigned as president of the Italian Football Federation. Luigi Di Biagio

13439-522: The following year. At the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France, the all-black kit was worn once in the match against France. After World War II, the fascist regime fell and the monarchy was abolished in 1946 . The same year saw the birth of the Italian Republic , and the blue-and-white kit was reinstated. The cross of the former Royal House of Savoy was removed from the flag of Italy , and consequently from

13590-434: The forward set-up around the Italian, who would be given licence to pull the strings, adding: "We're not going to reinvent the wheel here. He's played 19 years for one of the biggest four or five clubs in the world, as a No. 10 or a No. 9. We're not going to change that." FIFA President Sepp Blatter sent his best wishes to Del Piero and his new club. On 6 October 2012, Del Piero made his A-League debut with Sydney FC in

13741-429: The game, he confirmed that after his 19-year spell with Juventus, he did not plan to retire. He then left the club and became a free agent. In total, Del Piero made a club record of 705 appearances for Juventus across all competitions, scoring a record 290 goals, and providing 134 assists in all competitions throughout his career with the club; he also scored 188 goals and provided 108 assists in 478 Serie A appearances with

13892-556: The game-winner in a 2–0 victory over Newcastle Jets, also setting up Joel Chianese 's goal. Alessandro went on to score 10 goals in total for Sydney FC in the 2013–14 season, which earned him the Sydney FC Golden Boot; he helped the club qualify for the finals series, setting up both of his team's goals in the final match of the regular season on 13 April 2014, a 2–1 home win over Perth Glory , before being released of his contract at Sydney FC. His final match with Sydney came in

14043-452: The gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics with a 2–1 victory in extra time in the gold medal match over Austria on 15 August 1936. After declining to participate in the inaugural World Cup ( 1930 , in Uruguay) the Italy national team won two consecutive editions of the tournament in 1934 and 1938 , under the direction of coach Vittorio Pozzo and the performance of Giuseppe Meazza , who

14194-611: The governing body for football in Italy , which is a co-founder and member of UEFA . Italy's home matches are played at various stadiums throughout Italy, and its primary training ground and technical headquarters, Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano , is located in Florence . Italy is one of the most successful national teams in the history of football and the World Cup , having won four titles ( 1934 , 1938 , 1982 , 2006 ), appearing in two other finals ( 1970 , 1994 ), and reaching also

14345-475: The group stage. Having defeated Russia 2–1 and losing by the same score against the Czech Republic , Italy required a victory in their final group match against Germany to progress to the quarter-finals. However, Gianfranco Zola failed to convert a decisive penalty in a 0–0 draw against the Germans, who eventually won the tournament. Relegated to second place behind England in the qualification campaign for

14496-498: The hamlet of Saccon, a rural home in San Vendemiano . While growing up, Del Piero's family did not have much money for travelling abroad, so he considered being a lorry driver in order to see the world. While playing for the local youth team of San Vendemiano, Del Piero used to feature as a goalkeeper in order to gain more playing time. His mother thought it would be better for him to play in this role, as he would not sweat, and

14647-444: The highest-paid footballer to ever play in Australia. Del Piero had been linked to Liverpool prior to signing for Sydney, but later revealed due to his memories of Heysel he would not have been able to move to the club. Upon signing for Sydney FC, Del Piero said: "It's a special day for me. I am happy to announce that I just signed for two years for Sydney FC. This is a very big moment for me because I want to continue my career in

14798-468: The international stage in the second half of the 1970s. At the 1978 World Cup , Italy was the only team in the tournament to beat the eventual champions and host team Argentina , and the Azzurri made it to the third-place final, where they were defeated by Brazil 2–1. In the second round group stage match against the Netherlands , which prevented Italy from reaching the final, Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff

14949-493: The match to a penalty shootout , the first time a World Cup final was settled in a penalty shootout. Italy lost the subsequent shootout 3–2 after Baggio, who had been playing with the aid of a pain-killer injection and a heavily bandaged hamstring, missed the final penalty kick of the match, shooting over the crossbar. The vice World champions, still led by Sacchi, qualified for Euro 1996 in England, but did not progress beyond

15100-474: The match. He also played a key role in helping Juventus to win the 1995–96 UEFA Champions League , scoring 6 goals in the competition, and finishing as the second highest scorer of the tournament. The following season, Del Piero followed these victories up with the 1996 UEFA Super Cup and the 1996 Intercontinental Cup , scoring goals in both finals, and being named Man of the Match in the latter final; he also won

15251-446: The media for its lack of quality, which saw notable absences, such as Andrea Pirlo and Sebastian Giovinco being controversially left out. Italy opened Euro 2016 with a 2–0 victory over Belgium and qualified thanks to a win against Sweden in the second match, which made their defeat 1–0 to Ireland in the final group stage match irrelevant for access to the round of 16. Italy subsequently defeated reigning European champions Spain 2–0 in

15402-510: The most capped Juventus player, edging out former Juventus legend Giampiero Boniperti. Del Piero was the third most capped active player in the Serie A at the time, behind Javier Zanetti and Francesco Totti , respectively. On 5 May 2011, he signed a new one-year contract to stay at the Juventus Arena . His previous deal was due to expire on 30 June 2011. On 24 May 2011, Del Piero and Juventus played against Manchester United at Old Trafford in

15553-467: The most in the league that season, and 20 in all competitions. He faced criticism, however, for his inability to score in open play following his injury the previous season, as only one of his 9 Serie A goals that season was in open play (a header against Parma), with the rest coming from penalties. Furthermore, towards the end of the season, his once excellent attacking partnership with Inzaghi became less effective, due to Inzaghi's individualism, as well as

15704-481: The national team's badge, now consisting solely of the Tricolore . For the 1954 FIFA World Cup , the country's name in Italian, ITALIA , was placed above the tricolour shield, and for the 1982 FIFA World Cup , FIGC , the abbreviation of the Italian Football Federation , was incorporated into the badge. In 1983, to celebrate the victory at the World Cup of the previous year, three gold stars replaced ITALIA above

15855-562: The number of goals scored in matches among the tied teams. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and then Italian football federation president Franco Carraro accused the Swedish and Danish teams of fixing the result of their final match (2-2 was the result which consented both teams to advance). Despite calls, then-UEFA spokesperson Robert Faulkner said the organization would not investigate the result. The Italian Football Federation replaced Trapattoni with Marcello Lippi . With controversy plaguing

16006-524: The pair's lack of understanding and strained relationship both on and off the pitch. Del Piero helped Juventus to capture the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup that season, which allowed Juventus to qualify for the UEFA Cup ; overall, he scored 12 goals in all competitions, as Juventus narrowly missed out on the Serie A title. In 2000, Del Piero was the world's best-paid football player from salaries, bonuses, and advertising revenue. The following season saw Juventus suffer another disappointing defeat losing out on

16157-541: The past 50 years. Along with six awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct, he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality as well as playing ability. At international level, Del Piero has also represented the Italy national team at three FIFA World Cups and four UEFA European Football Championships , most notably winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup , and reaching the final of UEFA Euro 2000 with Italy. He

16308-403: The possibility of him getting injured was less likely. His brother Stefano commented to their mother that, due to his skill, the younger Del Piero was more suited to playing in a more offensive position, and he switched to a forward role. Del Piero began his rise to professional football in 1981, in the ranks of San Vendemiano. In 1988, Del Piero was first spotted by scouts, and he left home at

16459-530: The press. Italy's regrouped in the second round group, a group of death with Argentina and Brazil. In the opener, Italy prevailed 2–1 over Argentina, with Italy's goals, both left-footed strikes, were scored by Marco Tardelli and Antonio Cabrini . After Brazil defeated Argentina 3–1, Italy needed to win in order to advance to the semi-finals. Twice Italy went in the lead with Paolo Rossi's goals, and twice Brazil came back. When Falcão scored to make it 2–2, Brazil would have been through on goal difference, but in

16610-446: The quarter-finals a match early, scoring a goal in Juventus's 1–0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford , on 20 November 1996; this was the first time that an Italian team had defeated Manchester United at their home ground. In the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final , he came off the bench to score a goal with a back-heel, which was unable to prevent Juventus from losing 3–1 to Borussia Dortmund . Due to his performances throughout

16761-468: The referees, stating: "Italy's elimination is not only down to referees and linesmen who made human not premeditated errors. Italy made mistakes both in defense and in attack." Trapattoni stayed on and guided the team at Euro 2004 in Portugal, where after draws against Denmark and Sweden along with a victory over Bulgaria in Group C , Italy were eliminated following a three-way five point tie based on

16912-481: The round of 16. However, Italy were defeated by reigning world champions Germany, in the quarter-finals on penalties, after a 1–1 draw. After Conte's planned departure following Euro 2016, Gian Piero Ventura took over as manager for the team. During qualification for the 2018 World Cup, Italy finished second in Group G, five points behind Spain. Italy would compete in the play-off round against Sweden, where they lost 1–0 on aggregate and therefore eliminated;

17063-427: The rules of the time required the match to be replayed a few days later. This was the only time the final of the European Championship or World Cup was replayed. On 10 June 1968, Italy won the replay 2–0 (with goals from Gigi Riva and Pietro Anastasi ) to take the trophy. In the 1970 World Cup , exploiting the performances of European champions' players like Giacinto Facchetti , Gianni Rivera and Gigi Riva and with

17214-456: The season against Atalanta , marking the occasion and the victory of their 28th Serie A title by scoring a goal. Twenty-seven minutes into the match, Del Piero picked the ball up at the edge of the penalty box and placed a shot past Giorgio Frezzolini to make the score 2–0, helping Juventus to go undefeated in Serie A that season. He was substituted off after 59 minutes to an emotional response from both sets of players and supporters, as he made

17365-420: The season in a 2–1 home win over Brisbane Roar . Despite his record-breaking tally of 14 goals in 24 appearances, Del Piero was unable to help Sydney qualify for the play-offs at the end of the season. On 21 February, Del Piero renewed his contract until 2014. Del Piero was named Sydney's captain for their 2013–14 season. On 11 October 2013, Del Piero scored the opening goal of the 2013–14 A-League season,

17516-401: The second and seventh minutes. On 30 October 2010, he recorded his 179th Serie A goal, helping his side to a 2–1 win at Milan, breaking the record of club legend Giampiero Boniperti as Juventus's top scorer in Serie A, and further cementing his status as the most prolific goalscorer in Juventus history. On 5 February 2011, with his substitution against Cagliari , Alessandro Del Piero became

17667-436: The second goal of the match in a 2–0 victory, his first goal of the Serie A season. In Juventus' match against Lazio on 11 April, Del Piero replaced Vučinić in the second half, making his 700th appearance for Juventus, and then went on to score from a free kick to earn his side a 2–1 victory; the result also enabled Juventus to return to the top of the Serie A table. On 13 May, Del Piero started Juventus's final league game of

17818-455: The semi-final against Spain, 2–1 at the San Siro . This match meant the end of the record 37 game unbeaten run and the first defeat for Italy in more than three years. Four days later, Italy won the third-place play-off, 2–1 against Belgium. On 15 November, Italy drew 0–0 with Northern Ireland in their final 2022 World Cup qualifying Group C match and finished in second place, two points behind Switzerland. On 24 March 2022, Italy lost 1–0 in

17969-424: The semi-final of the play-offs against North Macedonia which was their first ever world Cup qualifying defeat at home, therefore, failing to qualify for the World Cup for a second consecutive time. On 1 June, Italy took part in the CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions match, rebranded as the 2022 Finalissima , losing 3–0 against defending Copa América champion Argentina . On 26 September 2022, Italy qualified for

18120-523: The semi-finals, Italy beat hosts Germany 2–0 with goals Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero in the last minutes of extra time. On 9 July 2006, the Azzurri won their fourth World Cup title after defeating France in the final . French captain Zinedine Zidane opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the seventh minute before Marco Materazzi scored from a corner kick, twelve minutes later. The score remained level and during extra-time and Zidane

18271-544: The semi-finals, and finishing the season with a career best of 32 goals in all competitions. Del Piero was awarded the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year award for his performances, and he was also nominated for the 1998 Ballon d'Or . During this time, he was nicknamed by the fans as Il Fenomeno Vero ("The Real Phenomenon"), in comparison with the Brazilian striker Ronaldo , who was nicknamed Il Fenomeno ("The Phenom") by supporters of rivals Inter Milan. Juventus began

18422-548: The semi-finals. The triumvirate attacking partnership proved wonders for Juventus, as the team overturned a 2–1 first leg deficit to record a 4–3 aggregate win as all three attacking stars netted in a 3–1 home win in the second leg. Juventus faced Italian rivals AC Milan in the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final in Manchester on 28 May. After a goalless 120 minutes, the tie went to a penalty shoot-out, where Del Piero finished his spot-kick, but it wasn't enough, as Juventus fell 3–2 in

18573-412: The sending off of Totti after being presented with a second yellow card for an alleged dive in the penalty area. FIFA president Sepp Blatter stated that the linesmen had been a "disaster" and admitted that Italy suffered from bad offside calls during the group matches, but he denied conspiracy allegations. While questioning Totti's sending off by Moreno, Blatter refused to blame Italy's loss entirely on

18724-412: The shoot-out. The following season saw Juventus start strongly, winning the 2003 Supercoppa Italiana over Milan on penalties, although Juventus were knocked out in the round of 16 in the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League , and finished the 2003–04 Serie A season in a disappointing third place. The club did manage to reach the 2004 Coppa Italia Final , only to be defeated by Lazio. Lippi left Juventus at

18875-440: The son of Gino, an electrician, and Bruna, a housekeeper. He regularly played football in the backyard with two friends, Nelso and Pierpaolo, as a child. All three dreamed of becoming footballers but only Del Piero would eventually manage to do so. His older brother, Stefano, briefly played professional football for Sampdoria before an injury curtailed his career; he later worked as his younger brother's agent. The family lived in

19026-401: The team in the last six games of Euro 2024 qualifying , managing to achieve direct qualification to the European Championship . Italy were eliminated from the tournament in the round of 16 following a 2–0 loss to Switzerland . The first shirt worn by the Italy national team, in its debut against France on 15 May 1910, was white. The choice of colour was due to the fact that a decision about

19177-434: The team led by former captain Dino Zoff made it all the way to the semifinals, facing another penalty shoot-out but emerging victorious over the co-hosts, the Netherlands. Italian goalkeeper Francesco Toldo saved one penalty during the match and two in the shootout, while striker Francesco Totti scored his penalty with a cucchiaio ( lit.   ' spoon ' ) chip. Italy finished the tournament as runners-up, losing

19328-447: The team. He underlined that players should remain with the team, explaining that "The Agnelli family deserve this, as do the fans and the new directors." While many key players such as Fabio Cannavaro , Emerson , Gianluca Zambrotta , Patrick Vieira , Zlatan Ibrahimović , and Lilian Thuram left, Del Piero chose to stay and help the club gain promotion. "A true gentleman never leaves his lady." Del Piero's first appearance after

19479-538: The third place play-off. At the 2014 FIFA World Cup , Italy defeated England 2–1 in their first match before succumbing to underdogs Costa Rica 1–0 in the second group stage match. In Italy's last group match, they were knocked out by Uruguay 1–0, in a controversial match, where Italian player Claudio Marchisio was controversially sent off whilst Uruguay's Luis Suarez bit Italy's Giorgio Chiellini without any sanction. Shortly after this loss, coach Cesare Prandelli resigned. Former Juventus manager Antonio Conte

19630-475: The tricolour, representing their three World Cup victories until that point. In 1984, a round emblem was launched, featuring the three stars, the inscriptions ITALIA and FIGC , and the tricolour. The first known kit manufacturer was Adidas in 1974. From 2003 to 2022, the kit was made by Puma . Since the 2000s, an all-blue uniform including blue shorts has occasionally been used, particularity in international tournaments. After Italy's 2006 World Cup victory,

19781-688: The win. Baggio scored another late goal against Spain at their quarter-final match in Boston to seal a 2–1 win and two goals against Bulgaria in their semi-final match in New York for another 2–1 win. In the final , which took place in Los Angeles 's Rose Bowl stadium 2,700 miles (4,320 km) and three time zones away from the Northeastern United States where they had played all their previous matches, Italy, who had 24 hours less rest than Brazil, played 120 minutes of scoreless football, taking

19932-412: The winning goal for Juventus. Del Piero then came on as a substitute in the 61st minute during Juventus's next Coppa Italia match on 27 August, against Napoli. Once again Juventus came from behind, as Del Piero scored twice to give his team the lead. The match eventually went to penalties; although Del Piero scored his spot-kick, Napoli won 5–4 in the penalty shoot-out . Despite starting the season with

20083-472: The young age of 13 to play with the youth side of Padova . He joined the senior side during the 1991–92 season , at the age of 16, and at the age of 17, he made his debut in Serie B against Messina , under manager Mauro Sandreani, on 15 March 1992, coming on as a substitute for Roberto Putelli. The following season , on 22 November 1992, he scored his first professional goal in a 5–0 victory over Ternana . In 1993, thanks to Giampiero Boniperti , Del Piero

20234-407: Was a key performer, scoring both goals, and drawing praise from Ranieri, as well as Real Madrid's coach Bernd Schuster . As he left the pitch after being substituted, fans from both sides gave him a standing ovation. Juventus's Champions League campaign ended in disappointment, as they were eliminated by Chelsea in the second round. Despite converting a penalty in the second leg in Turin, Del Piero

20385-543: Was accompanied by white shorts and black socks (which later became blue). The team later became known as gli Azzurri (the Blues). In the 1930s, Italy wore a black kit, ordered by the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini . The black kit debuted on 17 February 1935 in a friendly against France at the Stadio Nazionale PNF in Rome. A blue shirt, white shorts and black socks were worn at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin

20536-463: Was also shown like Altobelli's possibly successor, having his same goal attitude. Both forwards stroke the target in Germany, where Soviet Union defeated the Azzurri in semi-finals. Italy hosted the World Cup for the second time in 1990 . The Italian attack featured talented forwards Salvatore Schillaci and a young Roberto Baggio . Italy played nearly all of their matches in Rome and did not concede

20687-465: Was beaten by a long-distance shot from Arie Haan , and Zoff was criticized for the defeat. Italy hosted the 1980 European Championship , the first edition to be held between eight teams instead of four, automatically qualifying for the finals as hosts. After two draws with Spain and Belgium and a narrow 1–0 win over England , Italy were beaten by Czechoslovakia in the third-place match on penalties 9–8 after Fulvio Collovati missed his kick. After

20838-534: Was bought by Juventus for five billion lire , with an overlap of 150 million lire per season. In 1993, Del Piero transferred to Juventus and played for the Torinese club for 19 seasons until being released in the summer of 2012. Although manager Giovanni Trapattoni insisted that he trained with the senior team, he initially played with the Primavera squad , which was coached by Antonello Cuccureddu , helping

20989-531: Was called as caretaker manager and led the team in subsequent friendlies in March 2018, including the last of Buffon's 176 appearances on 23 March in a friendly against Argentina. On 14 May 2018, Roberto Mancini was announced as the new manager. On 16 August 2018, in the FIFA World Ranking that followed the 2018 World Cup, Italy dropped to their lowest ever ranking of 21st. On 18 November 2019, Italy finished

21140-462: Was celebrated as the David who killed Goliath . Upon Italy's return home, furious fans threw fruit and rotten tomatoes at their transport bus at the airport. In 1968, Italy hosted the European Championship and won the tournament in its first participation, beating Yugoslavia in Rome and winning their first major competition since the 1938 World Cup. The final ended in a 1–1 draw after extra time, and

21291-465: Was equalised in the second half by Claudio Caniggia 's header for Argentina. Aldo Serena missed the final penalty kick with Roberto Donadoni also having his penalty saved by goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea . Italy went on to defeat England 2–1 in the third-place match in Bari, with Schillaci scoring the winning goal on a penalty to become the tournament's top scorer with six goals. After failing to qualify for

21442-456: Was held in Milan on 15 May 1910. Italy defeated France by a score of 6–2, with Italy's first goal scored by Pietro Lana . The Italian team played with a (2–3–5) system and consisted of: De Simoni; Varisco, Calì ; Trerè, Fossati, Capello ; Debernardi, Rizzi, Cevenini I , Lana, Boiocchi . The first captain of the team was Francesco Calì . The first success in an official tournament came with

21593-400: Was locked in months of fractious negotiations over the signing of a new contract with Juventus' new management. After successfully negotiating a new contract till 30 June 2010, he was greeted with news of the birth of his first child. This was quite a staggering turnaround in his fortunes, as only two weeks earlier, he was dropped by Claudio Ranieri for the Serie A match with Fiorentina, and

21744-519: Was one of the defining images of Italy's 1982 World Cup triumph. Paolo Rossi won the Golden Boot with six goals as well as the Golden Ball Award for the best player of the tournament, and 40-year-old captain-goalkeeper Dino Zoff became the oldest player to win the World Cup. Subsequently, Italy failed to qualify for the 1984 European Championship , and then entered as reigning champions in

21895-415: Was selected to replace Prandelli. On 10 October 2015, Italy qualified for Euro 2016 , courtesy of a 3–1 win over Azerbaijan ; the result meant that Italy had gone 50 games unbeaten in European qualifiers. On 4 April 2016, it was announced that Antonio Conte would step down as Italy coach after Euro 2016 to become head coach of Chelsea . The 23-man squad was initially criticised by many fans and members of

22046-422: Was sent off for headbutting Materazzi. Italy went on to win the penalty shootout 5–3, with all Italian players scoring their kicks. The decisive penalty goal was scored by Grosso. FIFA named seven Italian players — Gianluigi Buffon , Fabio Cannavaro , Gianluca Zambrotta , Andrea Pirlo , Gennaro Gattuso , Francesco Totti and Luca Toni  — to the 23-man tournament All Star Team . Buffon also won

22197-415: Was surprised at Juventus president Andrea Agnelli 's announcement regarding the club's decision not to offer him a new contract. In the second leg of Juventus's clash with Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, Del Piero finished off a brilliant move by Juventus as they secured a 2–2 draw to progress to the final with a 4–3 aggregate win. On 25 March, Del Piero helped Juventus defeat Inter Milan by scoring

22348-442: Was the student of the great Italian renaissance artist Raphael ( Raffaello ), a nickname he had used to describe Baggio, to emphasise his elegance on the ball. Del Piero placed fourth in the 1995 Ballon d'Or for his performances throughout the season. With the Turin club, Del Piero won the Serie A eight times, although the 2005 and 2006 titles were revoked due to Juventus's involvement in the 2006 Italian football scandal . For

22499-636: Was the top goalscorer of the tournament with three goals scored while Romário scored twice. In the 21st minute of the opening match between France and Brazil, Roberto Carlos scored his famous Banana Shot free kick goal, curling from a 33.13-metre distance and often considered to be one of the best in the modern game. There were 16 goals scored in 6 matches, for an average of 2.67 goals per match. 3 goals 2 goals 1 goal 1 own goal Alessandro Del Piero Alessandro Del Piero Ufficiale OMRI ( Italian pronunciation: [alesˈsandro del ˈpjɛːro] ; born 9 November 1974)

22650-561: Was then axed from Roberto Donadoni 's Italy squad for the games with Georgia and South Africa . On 15 December 2007, Del Piero scored two goals away at Lazio and was named to two consecutive Serie A teams of the week. In February 2008, he scored the winning goal for Juventus from a free-kick in a 1–0 Serie A home victory over Roma. On 6 April 2008, he set a new appearance record for Juventus, overtaking Gaetano Scirea 's previous tally of 552 matches in all competitions. In April, he registered seven goals in five Serie A matches, including

22801-408: Was unable to prevent Juventus from losing 3–2 on aggregate. On 29 November 2008, Del Piero scored his 250th goal for Juventus from a penalty, in a 4–0 home win over Reggina . In the league, Juventus were mostly challenging Milan for second place and an automatic Champions League spot. Most notably, Del Piero inspired Juventus to a 3–0 win over Siena in their penultimate game of the season, scoring

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