England and Italy can’t seem to avoid each other on the international stage, with Tuesday evening’s meeting the fifth head-to-head in two years. Plenty of footballing exports have been traded between the two down the years, so we are marking the occasion by listing the top 10 Italians who have played in the Premier League.
- Italy named four Premier League players in their current squad, prior to Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo being sent home last week
- Italians typically stay put in Serie A, but there have been a select few iconic names who have flown the nest to England
Top 10 Italians Who Have Played in the Premier League
10. Massimo Maccarone
Massimo Maccarone was unfortunate to exist in an era of great Italian strikers, with the likes of Francesco Totti and Filippo Inzaghi occupying those spots at the time.
Maccarone was limited to just two international caps, but he will always be remembered fondly on Teeside as a key exponent of Middlesbrough’s transformation into an exhilarating pass-and-move side in the early naughties.
The pressure of a hefty £11 million price tag often weighed heavy, and despite registering a return of nine and eight Premier League goals in his first two seasons, Maccarone’s career in the North East came to a halt after the arrivals of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Mark Viduka in 2004.
After spending the next two seasons out on loan at Parma and then Siena, Maccarone returned to Middlesbrough with little prospects for the future.
Nevertheless, an underwhelming return of two goals in 17 league appearances mattered not, for his defining season in a Boro shirt came courtesy of the UEFA Cup.
After finishing top of their group thanks to a brace from Maccarone against Litex Lovech, Steve McClaren’s exotic team swept aside Stuttgart and Roma to reach the last eight.
Despite losing 2-0 away in Switzerland to Basel, the return leg saw Maccarone cap a 4-1 win with a 90th-minute goal.
A 1-0 defeat away to Steaua Bucuresti, followed by the Romanians scoring three on Teeside left Boro needing four. In a stunning semi-final comeback, Maccarone scored two including an 89th-minute winner to send them to the final, although they would go on to lose.
9. Carlo Cudicini
Despite spending much of his 13-year career in England as the understudy to Petr Cech and Heurelho Gomes, Carlo Cudicini is one of those names that conjures up a huge amount of nostalgia.
It is easy to forget just how good of a keeper Cudicini was – Chelsea fans in particular will be familiar after he was voted their player of the season in 2001/02 following their narrow qualification for the UEFA Cup. He would also be voted the Premier League keeper of the year the following season.
After Petr Cech’s and Jose Mourinho’s arrival in 2004, his game time in West London dwindled. He would later make the switch to Tottenham in 2009 after featuring 141 times for the Blues, and spent the rest of his career in England as a second keeper.
He was known for his meticulous preparation and attention to detail when it came to penalties, and saved 36% of those he faced for Chelsea and Tottenham.
In 2021, he said: “I created a book every season where I made notes – it’s something I did off my own back. Of course, we’re talking about 15 or 20 years ago; it’s a lot easier now to get that sort of information because pretty much every match is accessible to watch.”
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8. Francesco Baiano
Francesco Baiono’s top-flight career was short-lived, but he was undoubtedly one of the finest Italians to have played in the Premier League.
Quick, energetic, tricky – the diminutive Naples-born striker is perhaps best known for forming half of the Fiorentina “Ba Ba” strike pairing along with Gabriel Batistuta.
However, an Italian invasion at Derby County in the late 1990’s saw him and compatriot Stefano Eranio arrive on English shores, where Baiano would score 16 goals in 64 games, earning him the club’s player of the year award in 1998.
7. Mario Balotelli
We were reluctant to include Mario Balotelli on this list. Is he one of the best? Probably not, but he had some fleeting moments in England that showed what might have been.
He will, of course, go down in football folklore for his one and only Premier League assist; an astute sliding pass to Sergio Aguero, who then thumped in THAT winner against QPR in 2012 to hand Manchester City their first league title in 44 years.
37 goals involvements in 80 appearances for City is a commendable return, but four in 27 for Liverpool in a forgetful stint shows just how discordant his qualities were – you never really knew what kind of Mario you were getting.
Letting fireworks off in his mansion, being a regular at the strip club and stopping off at a local school to go to the toilet – these are the stories that define a truly bizarre career, but this list wouldn’t have been complete without the enigmatic Italian.
6. Fabrizio Ravanelli
A Champions League final scorer and winner for Juventus just a few months prior, Fabrizio Ravanelli opted to switch the hustle and bustle of Turin for Middlesbrough in 1996.
‘The White Feather’ as he was affectionately known due to his silver crop of hair, only spent a season at the Riverside but he made an instant impact.
Boro fans old enough will no doubt remember the buzz around the club when he signed, which he instantly proved was warranted after netting netting a hat-trick on his debut against Liverpool in a high-octane 3-3 draw.
Ravaenlli would go on to form a scintillating partnership with Brazilian midfielder Juninho, and the Italian scored 31 goals across a season where Middlesbrough reached two cup finals – although they would lose both.
Despite announcing himself as one of the league’s most potent forwards, their inexcusable defensive record ultimately saw them wallow near the foot of the table, and their relegation was confirmed in a bitter moment when 23 players were ruled out due to a virus.
Controversially, the Premier League fined Boro £50,000, docked the club three points despite protests, and they eventually faced the drop due to a two-point margin.
Ravanelli would return to England two years later after spells with Marseille and Lazio, although he would be faced with the same fate at Derby County who fell to seven defeats in their final eight games to drop down a division.
5. Jorginho
After recently breaking into the top five for most Premier League appearances by an Italian, Jorginho undoubtedly warrants a spot in our top five.
Despite lacking any real pace or physicality, it is testament to his metronomic footballing IQ that he has been as successful as he has. Operating in the ‘half spaces’ is Jorginho’s speciality, which now sees him form a crucial part of the dressing room at title chasers Arsenal.
Jorginho on looking like a coach and showing emotions on the touchline when not playing:
“I just can’t hold it. I want to help someone, so when I’m on sideline like this, or warming up, or from the bench, I just try and help the team somehow.” [Arsenal Colney Carpool] pic.twitter.com/Qm0nslkSnI
— AfcVIP⁴⁹ (@VipArsenal) October 11, 2023
Although he has never managed to lift a Premier League trophy, 2020 proved to be one of the most fruitful individual seasons in recent memory as he helped Chelsea to a second Champions League triumph, before winning the Euros with Italy in the summer of 2021.
It earned him the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year for 2020/21, and an inclusion in FIFA’s FIFPro World11.
4. Roberto Di Matteo
Roberto Di Matteo, along with the Chelsea squad of the mid-to-late 90’s, proved to be the driving force that cut short a gut-wrenching 19-year silverware drought.
Known for his exceptional ability from long range and a tactical astuteness that Chelsea had long been missing, the elegant Italian was one of a slew of compatriots who arrived in West London at the time.
Stroking the ball from 25 yards out on his debut against Middlesbrough in 1996 marked the beginning of a special relationship. In a season where he would go on to score nine goals from midfield, his most iconic moment in a Blues shirt came in the first minute of the 1997 FA Cup final, where he thundered a 40-yard strike off the underside of the bar to inspire their first trophy win since 1971.
Di Matteo would later score in the League Cup and FA Cup victories in 1998 and 2000 respectively, before cementing himself as a Chelsea legend by taking up the managerial mantle in 2011. His pragmatic, defence-first principles led Chelsea to the unlikeliest of Champions League trophies in 2012 – their first ever – while he also oversaw an FA Cup win that same year.
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3. Gianluca Vialli
The football world was in mourning in January of this year, as Gianluca Vialli ultimately lost the battle after a second bout of cancer. The late, great Italian’s popularity spread far and wide, and his influence as a player and latterly a manager saw sporting greats emerge with personal anecdotes in memory.
A hugely gifted and versatile striker, he was blessed with an equal measure of power in both legs and could operate anywhere across the front line, or just behind in an attacking midfield role. He netted 21 goals in 58 appearances for the Blues having already recorded 146 league goals in Italy.
His inextricable ties with London saw him live in the city until his untimely death, and his love for England and its unique idioms saw him settle intto life at Chelsea almost instantly.
He will be remembered fondly by Blues fans for assuming the role of the first ever Premier League player-manager in 1998, where he led them to the League Cup as well as a Cup Winners’ Cup medal. After retiring as a player in 1999, he added an FA Cup and a UEFA Super Cup as manager.
2. Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio was, and still is a restless, chaotic soul with a fervid passion for life.
His burning intensity on the pitch often gave way to ludicrous outbursts, but his unwavering commitment to physical conditioning and demanding 100% from his teammates combined to make him a feared leader.
Once you strip back the complexity of his character and put his often nauseating support of Benito Mussolini on the back-burner, you are simply left with a man who would do whatever it takes to win.
Imagine Di Canio handling contentious VAR decisions 👀#swfc #dicanio #90s pic.twitter.com/nvKBGV7iAu
— The Bosman Viewing (@bosmanviewing) October 14, 2023
For all his fiery episodes – shoving a referee in 1998 springs to mind – Di Canio was blessed with equal parts genius and humility.
An iconic Premier League moment in 2000, which earned him the FIFA Fair Play Award, saw him pass up a goalscoring opportunity to pick up the ball so Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard could receive treatment.
This was the man he was. Troubled? Perhaps. But it is no wonder Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign him not once, but twice. It is easy to romanticise what could have been under the careful guidance of English football’s greatest ever manager, but he still achieved legendary status in East London while netting 66 Premier League goals.
1. Gianfranco Zola
If you’ve made it this far it should be fairly obvious by now who our number one is among Italians who played in the Premier League.
Gianfranco Zola was somewhat of a trailblazer for Italians in England, first arriving on these shores in 1996 having spent a trophy-laden decade in Italian football, where he won the Serie A with Napoli alongside Diego Maradona.
Sexy football and an Italian revolution was on its way to Chelsea in the mid 90’s, with the aforementioned Vialli joining Zola in West London in the same summer.
Despite not making his debut until 13 games into his debut season, Zola’s impact was unlike anything seen in England. He would go on to win the Football Writer’s Association Player of the Year and finish just one goal shy of top scorer.
Gianfranco Zola vs Wimbledon, 1997. pic.twitter.com/2hP1lDJd1u
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) October 7, 2023
His fleet-footed wizardry, unerring ability from a dead ball and tight, compact low centre of gravity certainly draws comparisons to Maradona, with whom he is said to have “learnt a lot” from during their time at Napoli.
Chelsea finally had a team to be proud of after so many years of yo-yoing between divisions, and Zola was undoubtedly the key to their success.
90 goal involvements in 229 fixtures – the most appearances by an Italian in the Premier League – is not a full reflection of his genius. However, amid the rapidly changing complexion of the English top-flight after the Bosman ruling, which saw an influx of foreign talent, Zola still managed to stand out.
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