"It's better to have 10 disorganized players than 10 organized runners."
- Roberto Baggio
When
it comes to tactical knowledge of the game, Italian soccer players are
pretty much the best out there. Ok, they might not have the technique
of Brazilians, the speed of the English or the unpredictability of the
Spanish, but you won't see an Italian player lacking defensive tasks
and being perfectly in touch with the game's tactics plan.
Even if you don't play soccer yourself, you probably know that a
striker's performance depends heavily on the opposing team's defenders
and when facing defensive Italian players, there's no striker in the
World that will feel comfortable.
But besides this shared defensive
and tactical prowess, you can't really find a pattern for
Italy soccer players, like you could, for example, with the Germans or
Brazilians.
Top Italian soccer players come from various positions on
the pitch, unlike German ones that are usually defenders or defensive
midfielders, or Brazilians who choose most of their heroes from
attacking departments.
Next up, you'll find a short list of some of the most famous Italian
soccer players and you'll notice each of them had a different ability
that made them so successful, instead of just following "their
pattern".(You can find more Italian players at the Famous Soccer
Players section).
Dino Zoff (1942) Dino Zoff is considered the best goalkeeper
Italy ever produced and he holds some impressive records that highlight
his extremely long career (he retired at 41).
Zoff holds the record for
keeping a clean sheet in international matches for the longest period
of time, managing not to concede a single goal with
Italy between 1972 and 1974! (1142 full minutes). He also captained the
1982 World Cup winning Italy squad, becoming the oldest Italian soccer
player to lift the trophy, being 40 at that point.
Macro Tardelli
(1954) Tardelli did not stand out as many of his
1982 World Cup winning teammates did, however he was an inspiring
presence in midfield for both Juventus and the Italian squad.
His role as defensive midfielder for Juventus Torino was crucial as his
squad won 5 titles in Tardelli's 10 years spent at the club and he also
proved a decisive contribution to the 1982 World Cup win.
Franco Baresi (1960) Baresi was the perfect definition of the Italy
soccer player, being a defender who knew every detail of his team's
tactics to perfection. He is widely regarded as one of the
best defenders in the game and is also viewed as a colossus
of loyalty, having played his entire career for AC Milan.
He won 6 Serie A titles with
Milan, in a period in which Milan's defense was considered
impenetrable, with defenders such as Baresi, Paolo Maldini or
Alessandro Costacurta in the starting line-up.
Roberto Baggio
(1967) "Il Codinho" as he was named by his fans and
the media due to his pony-tail haircut, Baggio sometimes seemed more
like a Brazilian than an Italian. His technique and hunger
for goal, in addition to his presence of spirit on the pitch, made him
become one of the top Italian players of all times. He is the only
Italian soccer player to have scored in 3 different World Cups.
