Italy

Today is the 75th birthday of Inter legend Sandro Mazzola, a European Championship winner with Italy. Alessandro was born in Turin on November 8, 1942 after his father, Valentino, signed…

Roberto Mancini says “I’d be ready” if the Italy job became available and is backing Inter for the Scudetto. Italy must beat Sweden over two legs in the playoffs to…

Gianluigi Buffon assures the Italy squad “have total confidence” in Giampiero Ventura but admits Euro 2004 with Sweden was “a huge disappointment”. Ventura is under pressure to deliver when Italy…

Raymond Domenech says it would not be a ‘tragedy’ if Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup but admits Marco Materazzi was his best opponent. Domenech coached France at…

Roma defender Emerson Palmieri insists he is “only thinking” about playing for Italy as “a man must only have his word.” Emerson pledged his international allegiance to Italy back in…

Sebastian Giovinco’s agent says his client ‘doesn’t know what to do’ to earn an Italy recall. The 30-year-old has enjoyed a highly productive season on a personal and team level,…

Italy will reportedly return to a 3-5-2 formation for the crucial World Cup play-off with Sweden. The Azzurri face the Scandinavian nation on Friday and Monday, in a double-header to…

Patrice Evra describes former Juventus teammate Andrea Pirlo as “the only player with a hand in place of a foot”. The midfielder announced his retirement yesterday, and this afternoon the…

Italy have been given an official warning by FIFA for delaying the kick-off in their match against Macedonia. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Aleksandar Trajkovski of Palermo…

Gennaro Gattuso says watching Milan teammate Andrea Pirlo made him want to “change profession”. The pair played together for Carlo Ancelotti’s Rossoneri, with Ringhio doing the leg work while his…

UEFA has confirmed it is in talks with FIFA to take the new Nations League worldwide. The new system sees four tiers, of which Italy are in League A, with…

Alessandro Florenzi admits Italy “have to go to the World Cup” but “we don’t fear anyone”. The Azzurri face Sweden on Friday and Monday, in a two-legged play-off which will…

Today is the 73rd birthday of Italy’s all-time top-scorer and Cagliari legend Luigi Riva. Riva was born in Leggiuno, Lombardy; a small town near the border with Switzerland on November…

Andrea Pirlo could reportedly return to Juventus as an ambassador, or take a role with the Italy squad. The legendary midfielder officially announced his retirement yesterday, having played his final…

Sweden striker John Guidetti believes “the winner will be whoever makes fewer mistakes” in the play-off with Italy. The Azzurri face the Scandinavian nation on Friday and Monday, in a…

Pierluigi Casiraghi believes Italy should overcome Sweden in their World Cup play-off because “quality is worth more than organisation”. The striker scored in a 1-0 win at the San Paolo…

Mario Balotelli pays tribute to the retiring Andrea Pirlo, adding the former Italy midfielder could have played for ’10 more years.’ 38-year-old Pirlo confirmed his retirement after his final club,…

Sweden Coach Janne Andersson says “we have everything to win” in the World Cup play-off with Italy. The Scandinavian side host the Azzurri in Stockholm on Friday, before facing Giampiero…

The world of football has paid tribute to Andrea Pirlo, after he announced his retirement earlier today. The 38-year-old has hung up his boots for the final time, after coming…

Andrea Pirlo has officially confirmed his retirement from football, so Football Italia takes a look back at his best moments from his 116 Italy caps. The midfielder sits fourth on…