Italy’s victory over England in the delayed 2020 European Championships was their second European success and became their sixth major trophy. The Azzurri also won the Olympic Games football competition in 1936 in Berlin.
1934
Gianpiero Combi, Eraldo Monzeglio, Luigi Allemandi, Attilio Ferraris, Luis Monti, Luigi Bertolini, Enrique Guaita, Guiseppe Meazza, Giovanni Ferrari, Raimundo Orsi, Angelo Schiavio, Felice Borel, Armando Castellazzi, Mario Pizziola
Achievement: World Cup winners 1934.
Manager: Vittorio Pozzo
Key men: Raimundo Orsi, Argentinian-born winger, quick left-footed, excellent dribbler with sublime technical ability; Giuseppe Meazza, tricky forward, capable of mazy runs and dancing a decent tango! A great character who played for Inter, AC Milan and Juventus; Luis Monti, another Argentinian-born, strong tackling defensive midfielder.
Perception: Tough, fast-moving team with a high level of individual skill. Won the World Cup as host nation.
1938
Aldo Olivieri, Alfredo Foni, Pietro Rava, Pietro Serantoni, Michele Andreaolo, Ugo Locatelli, Amedeo Biavati, Giuseppe Meazza, Silvio Piola, Giovanni Ferrari, Gino Colaussi, Eraldo Monzeglio, Piero Pasinati.
Achievement: World Cup winners 1938.
Manager: Vittorio Pozzo
Key men: Alfredo Foni, full back who won Olympic gold medal in the 1936 games in Berlin. Lazio player, he also enjoyed long management career; Gino Colaussi, Triestina forward who was the first player to score more than one goal in a World Cup final; Silvio Piola, Serie A’s record goalscorer, he netted five goals in the 1938 World Cup, but also impressed with his work rate and technical ability.
Perception: Rebuilt side from 1934, as robust as ever and full of talent. Deservedly retained the World Cup.
1968
Dino Zoff, Giacinto Facchetti, Tarcisio Burgnich, Aristide Guarneri, Ernesto Castano, Giovanni Lodetti, Giorgio Ferrini, Antonio Juliano, Sandro Mazzola, Angelo Domenghini, Pierino Prati, Pietro Anastasi, Luigi Riva, Gianni Rivera.
Manager: Ferruccio Valcareggi
Achievement: European Championship winners 1968, beating Yugoslavia in the final and the USSR in the semi-final.
Key men: Pierino Prati, AC Milan forward who was opportunistic in front of goal. Strong all-round player, good in the air and full of pace – could also play on the wing; Dino Zoff, imposing goalkeeper who was pragmatic rather than flamboyant. Played for Napoli from 1967 to 1972 before joining Juventus. Won the World Cup in 1982 during a 112-cap career with Italy; Giacinto Facchetti, Inter Milan and Italy skipper who played 94 times for Italy and made over 600 appearances for Inter. Combined pace, stamina and power to become one of the best full backs in the world.
Perception: Defence-minded team, hard to beat, strategically savvy.
1982
Dino Zoff, Gaetano Scirea, Claudio Gentile, Fulvio Collovati, Giuseppe Bergomi, Antonio Cabrini, Gabriele Oriali, Marco Tardelli, Bruno Conti, Francesco Graziani, Paolo Rossi, Giancarlo Antognoni, Gianpiero Marini, Alessandro Altobelli
Achievement: World Cup winners 1982, European Championship fourth place 1980.
Manager: Enzo Bearzot
Key men: Dino Zoff, imposing goalkeeper, unspectacular but reliable and steady. One of the all-time great keepers (112 caps) and captain of the Italian team; Claudio Gentile, Tripoli-born hard man, tough, tenacious and uncompromising, 71 caps for Italy; Marco Tardelli, hard-tackling but skilful midfielder with a powerful shot. 81 caps; Paolo Rossi, returned from a ban to become leading scorer and player of the tournament in the 1982 World Cup. Quick, agile and prolific.
Perception: Not necessarily the best team in 1982, but a focused side that came to its peak in the competition.
2006
Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Francesco Totti, Luca Toni, Marco Matterazzi, Fabio Grosso, Mauro Camoranesi, Simone Perrotta, Alessandro Del Piero, Daniele De Rossi, Alberto Gilardino, Vincenzo Laquinta, Alessandro Nesta.
Achievement: World Cup winners 2006; European Championship Quarter-finals 2008.
Manager: Marcelo Lippi
Key men: Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus goalkeeper, calm, agile and strong. A great shot-stopper; Fabio Cannavaro, central defender and captain, read the game superbly, versatile and tactically intelligent; Francesco Totti, Roma legend who played almost 800 games for the club, attacking midfielder, versatile; Andrea Pirlo, gifted AC Milan midfielder, excellent vision and passing ability.
Perception: Underrated and unfancied winners of the World Cup. Some good individuals, strong in defence.
2021
Gianlugi Donnarumma, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Emerson, Nicolà Barella, Jorginho, Marco Verrati, Federico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, Leonardo Spinazzola, Manuel Locatelli, Federico Bernardeschi, Bomenico Berardi, Andrea Belotti, Alessandro Florenzi, Bryan Christante.
Achievement: Euro 2020 winners 2021, beating England on penalties in the final.
Manager: Roberto Mancini
Key men: Gianluigi Donnarumma, giant goalkeeper, moved from AC Milan to Paris Saint-Germain in tournament, strong with good technique; Giorgio Chiellini, veteran Juventus centre back who combined aggression with excellent timing and tackling as well as aerial ability; Federico Chiesa, fast and skilful winger with Fiorentina, outstanding in Euro 2020.
Perception: Great team ethic, determined after failing to qualify for 2018 World Cup, and consistent. Euro victory was their 33rd game without defeat.
GAME OF THE PEOPLE 