1001 Floodlit Dreams – GAME OF THE PEOPLE

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 33^rd game without defeat.

MANY people believe that the current Manchester City team is probably their best ever. It is certainly their most expensive and most successful although the club’s modern-day achievements are often dismissed due to the inflated investment made in the club. However, nobody can deny the quality of football being played by Pep Guardiola’s side or the depth of talent that has been assembled.

City have won 19 major honours but 10 of those have some since 2010-11. For many years, they were one of the big underachievers in the English game, the high spot being the period between 1967-68 and 1969-70 when they won four prizes.

In Game of the People’s 1001 Floodlit Dreams series, we are about to induct the following City teams in the roll of honour:

1902-1905

Jack Hillman, Johnny McMahon, Herbert Burgess, Sammy Frost, Tommy Hynds, Sam Ashworth, Billy Meredith, George Livingstone, Billie Gillespie, Sandy Turnbull, Frank Booth, Lot Jones, John Edmondson, George Dorsett, Irvine Thornley.

Manager: Tom Maley

Achievements: 1902-03 – Football League Division Two champions; 1903-04 FA Cup winners, Football League Division One runners-up.

Five year record (1901-02 to 1905-06): 18 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 5

Summary: Newly-promoted City beat Bolton Wanderers 1-0 in the 1904 cup final thanks to a Billy Meredith goal. They finished three points behind The Wednesday in the league, despite being top in the final week.

Manchester City’s Billy Meredith (l) charges down the wing

Key men:

Billy Meredith – Iconic winger who won 48 Welsh caps. A winger with superb balance and agility, capable of excellent crosses and long-range shooting. Banned from playing for his part in a bribery scandal, he joined Manchester United.

Billie Gillespie – Bustling centre forward who scored 126 goals in 218 league games for City.

Sandy Turnbull – Scottish inside forward who played for City and United. Also banned during the bribery scandal. Died in the first world war in Arras.

1967-1970

Harry Dowd, Ken Mulhearn, Joe Corrigan, Glyn Pardoe, David Connor, Tony Book, George Heslop, Tommy Booth, Mike Doyle, Alan Oakes, Mike Summerbee, Colin Bell, Neil Young, Tony Coleman, Francis Lee, Ian Bowyer, Tony Towers.

Manager: Joe Mercer

Achievements: Football League champions 1967-68, FA Cup winners 1968-69, Football League Cup winners 1969-70, European Cup-Winners’ Cup winners 1969-70.

Five-year record (1967-68 to 1971-72): 1 – 13 -10 – 11- 4

Summary: Exciting young team, managed by Mercer and coached by the innovative and often wayward Malcolm Allison. Attack-minded, with some exceptional individuals.

The victorious Manchester City players drinking a toast in champagne after beating Newcastle United by four goals to three at Newcastle to become champions in 1968.

Key men:

Colin Bell – High energy midfielder known as “Nijinsky” after the race horse. Signed from Bury and became one of the most dynamic midfield players of the 1970s. England international, 48 caps. Career ended by injuries.

Francis Lee – Stocky striker who was tenacious and direct. Signed from Bolton Wanderers, he won 27 England caps. Scored 112 league goals in 249 games before joining Derby in 1974.

Mike Summerbee – Fiery right winger who was signed from Swindon Town. Won eight England caps.

2017-2019

Ederson, Kyle Walker, Danilo, Vincent Kompany, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Ilkay Gündogan, Nicolás Otamendi, Fabian Delph, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, David Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Fernandinho, Gabriel Jesus, Sergio Agüero, Leroy Sané, Raheem Sterling.

Manager: Pep Guardiola

Achievements: Premier League champions 2017-18 and 2018-19, FA Cup winners 2018-19, Football League Cup winners 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Five-year record (2014-15 to 2018-18): 2 – 4 – 3 – 1 – 1

Summary: Outstanding footballing team built by wealthy owners, combining ruthless efficiency with individual skill and rapier-like finishing.

Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring the fifth goal during the FA Cup Final match at Wembley Stadium, London.

Key men:

Kevin De Bruyne – Versatile midfielder who rose to prominence at Wolfsburg after an aborted spell at Chelsea. Signed for City in 2015 for £ 55 million and became a pivotal figure in the club’s success. 72 caps for Belgium.

Raheem Sterling – Signed by City from Liverpool in 2015 for £ 44 million. A versatile player who can play as striker, winger or attacking midfielder. Has already won more than 50 caps for England.

Sergio Agüero – Outstanding striker who has scored 231 goals in 339 games since signing from Atlético Madrid in 2011 for £ 35 million. Classic centre forward with a high level of tactical intelligence.

There are other contenders for our roll call – the City league champions of 1937 that were relegated a year later, and the FA Cup winners of 1956. The fact is, this is City’s time, so it is more likely that the club’s best teams may not have taken the field yet. One thing is certain, the current regime at the club will undoubtedly insist on more trophies and more players being added to the list of great players who have represented Manchester City.

@GameofthePeople

Photos: PA