There are 21 players who are either Italian or featured in Serie A during 2021 who made it into the candidates for FIFA’s Team of the Year, including Jorginho, Dusan Vlahovic, Nicolò Barella, Lorenzo Insigne and Theo Hernandez.
The 80 nominees were unveiled today as part of the EA Sports competition, with votes open from around the world.
They are players who made an impact either in Serie A during 2021 or for the Azzurri on their way to the UEFA EURO 2020 triumph at Wembley Stadium.
Some, like Juventus stars Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Manuel Locatelli and Federico Chiesa, Inter midfielder Barella, Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne, unlucky Roma full-back Leonardo Spinazzola and Lazio striker Ciro Immobile, were in both tournaments.
Others have moved on, like former Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, ex-Inter players Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi, Atalanta defender Cristian Romero or last season’s Serie A Capocannoniere Cristiano Ronaldo.
Jorginho at Chelsea and Marco Verratti at Paris Saint-Germain are Italy internationals who won silverware elsewhere.
The current crop of Serie A players nominated for the FIFA 22 TOTY include Mike Maignan (Milan), Theo Hernandez (Milan), Simon Kjaer (Milan), Milan Skriniar (Inter), Lautaro Martinez (Inter) and Fiorentina hitman Vlahovic.
It’s Team of the Year time.⁰
8️⃣0️⃣ nominees, one Ultimate XI decided by you.
⁰Back the best. 🗳 Vote Now 👉 https://t.co/NYTCnqvYW1#TOTY pic.twitter.com/X7EonIq6LG— EA SPORTS FIFA (@EASPORTSFIFA) January 10, 2022
The stars that shined throughout last year 🌟
Support the #TOTY nominees from #SerieA💎 🔥 Vote now ➡️ https://t.co/s5tV8mtnto#FIFA22 @EASPORTSFIFA @EA_FIFA_Italia pic.twitter.com/BoZl9Hjnqb— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) January 10, 2022