10 years on after Italy last played in World Cup: Where are they now?

Exactly 10 years ago today, Italy last took to the pitch in the World Cup, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay in Brazil. A decade later, where are those players now?

The Azzurri are currently gearing up for their decisive Euro 2024 clash with Croatia, the final match in Group B, as they work to book their spot in the Round of 16. A win over Albania was a positive start but a loss to Spain in the following match proved concerning.

Whilst Italy have found more joy in the European Championship, lifting the trophy three years ago, it’s been nothing but heartbreak with the World Cup in the last decade, missing out on both the 2018 and 2022 editions due to damaging results in the qualifiers.

Italy’s last World Cup match

On June 24^th, 2014, Italy played out their last match in the World Cup, losing to Uruguay 1-0 at the Arena das Dunas, ending their campaign in Brazil at the first hurdle.

In goal that day was Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus and Azzurri legend, who hung up his boots at the end of the 2022-23 season. He is now working as the National Team Delegation Head and is part of Luciano Spalletti’s staff at Euro 2024.

In front of him was Bianconeri teammate Andrea Barzagli, who retired back in 2019 after eight years with the Old Lady. He spent a year working with Maurizio Sarri in Turin before spending two years with the Italy youth teams. Now, he works as a commentator and pundit for DAZN.

Also in defence was Leonardo Bonucci, who is now bringing an end to his 18-year playing career after a difficult season with Union Berlin and Fenerbahce. He famously scored the equaliser in Italy’s Euro 2020 final against England, playing an important role in their triumph at Wembley.

Finishing off the backline was Giorgio Chiellini, who retired at the start of 2024 after an 18-month spell with Los Angeles FC, where he now works as a development coach. Numerous whispers have linked him with a possible return to Juventus in some form of backroom role this summer.

The only player still in the Italy squad, Matteo Darmian started as the right wing back a decade ago and has continued to do well in that role since, being a regular part of Simone Inzaghi’s Inter squad. He has only played seven minutes at Euro 2024, but is expected to start against Croatia.

Claudio Marchisio had an unfortunate match a decade ago, being sent off in the 59^th minute of Italy’s loss to Uruguay after a fairly forgettable foul on Egidio Arevalo. He retired earlier than expected back in 2019 after a year with Zenit Saint-Petersburg, hanging up his boots at 33.

The 2014 World Cup was Andrea Pirlo’s last tournament with Italy. The following summer, he left for New York City FC, where he spent three years before retiring. He unexpectedly became the Juventus head coach for the 2020-21 season before spending a year with Fatih Karagumruk, and is now in charge of Sampdoria.

Only 21 years old at the time, Marco Verratti was an exciting young talent at that World Cup and he continued to shine over the years for Paris Saint-Germain. He was also a part of the victorious Euro 2020 squad, and now plays for Qatari side Al-Arabi, where his contract expires in June 2025.

Mattia De Sciglio completed the midfield five that day for Italy. At 31, he is still a part of the Juventus squad, where he’s contracted for another year, but injuries have taken their toll on the veteran full back.

Ciro Immobile lined up at the top for Italy, coming off a strong season with Torino. At club level he bounced around from Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla before finding his footing with Lazio, where he still plays today. Despite being part of the Euro 2020 squad, he never managed to translate his club form to the national team, earning him much criticism over the years.

Joining Immobile up front was Mario Balotelli, who was still in the early stages of his crazy career. He’s played for eight different clubs over the last 10 years and currently finds himself in Turkey with Adana Demirspor, where he scored seven goals this term.

One of the three Italy substitutes that day was Thiago Motta, who was a regular feature in the PSG squad in 2014. He retired in 2018 and began working as a coach, where he showed some positives with Genoa and Spezia before doing the impossible with Bologna this season, taking them to the Champions League. He is now ready to lead a new era at Juventus.

Also off the bench was Antonio Cassano, an incredibly divisive figure. He also retired in 2018 and is now a media personality, having spent time on BoboTV alongside Christian Vieri and Daniele Adani.

Finally, there’s Marco Parolo, who hung up his boots in 2021 after a positive seven-year spell with Lazio. He continued to play for Italy for a number of years before his final appearance in a 1-1 friendly draw with England in 2018.