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Morgan De Sanctis (born 26 March 1977) is an Italian football goalkeeper who currently plays for Serie A club Napoli and the Italian national team

Marco Borriello (born 18 June 1982 in Napoli)Marco Borriellor for Serie A club A.C. Milan. He has previously played for other Italian clubs including Sampdoria, Treviso, Reggina, Empoli, Triestina and Genoa. He is a strong, left footed center forward , especially good in scoring spectacular volleys. Borriello received his first Italian national team call-up for a friendly against Portugal, which took place on 6 February 2008 in Zürich, Switzerland. He replaced Luca Toni for the final twenty minutes, with Italy winning 3-1. He also played the next two friendlies, coming on as a substitute for Toni on both occasions, and was in the squad for Euro 2008 but did not play.

Di Natale made his senior debut in late November 2002 against Turkey while Giovanni Trapattoni was still in charge of the national team. He won a few caps in later years though only participated in friendly games.

In 2006 he regained a spot with the Azzurri, under new coach Roberto Donadoni, and was involved in the Euro 2008 qualification campaign. Di Natale netted a goal in each half, setting Italy en route to a hard-fought win over Ukraine in a qualifying match. He was then called up to Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2008 where he missed a crucial penalty during a quarterfinal penalty shoot out against Spain who went on to win 4-2.

The next season, after a knee injury against Montenegro on 28 March 2009, Di Natale was missing the 2009 Confederations Cup.

Gilardino played with Italy in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, winning the bronze medal. He also led Italy's Under 21 team  to victory in the 2004 European Under-21 Football Championship.

Gilardino is currently the all-time top scorer for the Italy National Under-21 team.

He was a member of the Italy squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played in the first two matches, scoring a goal against the United States with a diving header, then coming on as a substitute in the semifinal match against Germany, hitting the post in extra time and providing the pass for Alessandro Del Piero's stoppage-time goal that sealed the Azzurri's 2-0 victory.

On 17 October 2007, Gilardino assumed the team captaincy for the first time in his international career after Daniele De Rossi was substituted during Italy's 2-0 friendly win over South Africa. He returned to the national team on 20 August, 2008 and scored the first of Italy's two goals in an international friendly against Austria, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

In June 2009, Marcello Lippi called Gilardino up for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. Gilardino played a friendly match against New Zealand in Pretoria, South Africa days before Italy's first match, netting two goals and displaying a wonderful performance.

On 10 October 2009, Gilardino scored what he describes as the most important goal of his career so far, scoring in the 89th minute against Ireland. This enabled them (Italy) to qualify for the 2010 World Cup to try and defend the title they won in 2006.

On 14 October 2009, Gilardino scored a hat trick in the final 13 minutes of the game against Cyprus to cap a 3-2 victory for Italy.

Leonardo Bonucci (born 1 May 1987) is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Bari  and the Italian national team.

In March 2008 Bocchetti made his debut with the Italy U-21 squad. He established himself in Pierluigi Casiraghi's Azzurrini squad at the 2008 Toulon Tournament and retained his place in the starting line up for the Summer Olympics.[1]  Together with Marco Andreolli, he was first-choice in central defense for the remain 2009 European Championship qualifiers and also at the tournament.

On 22 March 2009 Bocchetti received his first call up to the senior Italy squad for two World Cup qualifiers matches but remained an unused substitute.[2] On 10 October 2009 he made his senior national team international debut against Ireland coming on as a second half substitute in Croke Park. In May, he was named in Marcello Lippi's preliminary World Cu

Cannavaro's first taste of international success came over a decade ago under coach Cesare Maldini with Italy's U-21 side, winning consecutive European Under-21 Football Championship titles in 1994 and 1996. In 1996, he participated in the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

He made his debut with the Italian national team on 22 January 1997, in a friendly game against Northern Ireland. He played for his country in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cups, as well as Euro 2000 and Euro 2004.

Cannavaro's first international tournament came at 1998 FIFA World Cup under the mentorship of veteran defender Paolo Maldini, and the squad was coached by Maldini's father Cesare. Italy went out in the quarter-finals to hosts and eventual champions France; Cannavaro suffered a cut on his forehead from an elbow by Stéphane Guivarc'h but played the remainder of the match after receiving treatment. The Azzurri managed to push the game to a 0-0 draw but the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out after the teams were tied 0-0.

In Euro 2000, it was Les Bleus who once again shattered Italy's dreams. Cannavaro had a strong tournament, playing as right-back, and the Azzurri reached the final, where they led the then world champions 1-0 going into injury time. Near the end of regular time, Sylvain Wiltord found the equalizer, and an extra-time golden goal from David Trezeguet gave France the title.

At the 2002 FIFA World Cup he was credited with holding the defence together, almost single-handedly after Alessandro Nesta was injured against Croatia. Italy however went out in the second round, losing to co-hosts and eventual semi-finalists South Korea, again to a golden goal[8].

Cannavaro had a hard act to follow when he took over as captain from Maldini after the 2002 World Cup, but he quickly won the team over with his constant smile, laid-back Neapolitan approach and inspiring performances. After Maldini's international retirement he first captained Italy in a match at Napoli and received a standing ovation on the pitch where he sported the local side's colours between 1991 and 1995[9].

Cannavaro's first international goal was scored on 30 May 2004 against Tunisia, Italy won 4-0. Euro 2004, which was hosted by Portugal, turned out to be a disappointment. Cannavaro picked up yellow cards during the two draws with Denmark (0-0) and Sweden (1-1), forcing him to sit out the final group game. Italy defeated Bulgaria 2-1, but failed to advance on goal difference

During the season 2006-2007, Bolzoni was part of the winning side, when F.C. Internazionale Milano Primavera won the Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti (under-20 Italian Championship).

He made his first-team debut on February 1, 2007, playing 26 minutes of the Tim Cup (Italian Cup) semi-final return leg against U.C. Sampdoria at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

On 19 September 2007, Bolzoni, alongside with Esposito and Puccio, was selected for the first time in the 20 man squad for the UEFA Champions League match against Fenerbahçe. However he failed to make his debut in the UEFA Champions League, on that day. In the following match against PSV Eindhoven he came on as a substitute for Santiago Solari in the 70th minute, making his first UEFA Champions League appearance.

On 12 December, during an away match against PSV Eindhoven, Bolzoni started his first UEFA Champions League match, and also played the whole 90 minutes. The game ended in 1-0 win for Internazionale. [1]

Francesco Bolzoni has renewed his contract with the club until 30 June 2012.

Gattuso has been capped seventy times for his country and played in the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008 and the 2009 Confederations Cup. He is one of the key players for the Italian team, winning the Man of the Match award in the 2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage match against Ukraine. He and Pirlo formed a formidable partnership in the heart of midfield. In the Euro 2008, when both of them had to miss the quarterfinal match against Spain due to accumulated yellow cards, coach Donadoni had a hard time finding replacements as none of the reserve players could match the lung-bursting contribution of the Milan duo. Italy went on to lose 4–2 in the ensuing penalty shoot-out. Gattuso achieved a measure of notoriety for his post-match celebrations after Italy won the World Cup in 2006, during which he removed his shorts and ran around the pitch in his underwear, until FIFA officials forced him to cover up.

.Alessandro Del Piero (Italian pronunciation: [ales'sandro del 'pjɛro]), Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[2][3] (born November 9, 1974 in Conegliano, Veneto) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus.

Del Piero was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations.[4] Brazilian star Ronaldinho proclaimed that Del Piero is his idol.[5] Del Piero was also voted in the list of best European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. In the year 2000, Del Piero was the world's best-paid football player from salary, bonuses and advertising revenue.[6]

Along with three awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct[7][8] he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality and playing ability.[9]

Del Piero usually plays as a supporting-striker and occasionally between the midfield and the strikers, known in Italy as the "trequartista" position. Although he is not very tall, Del Piero's playing style is regarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting many goals as well as scoring himself, as opposed to just "goal poaching."[10] His free-kick and penalty taking is also highly regarded.[11] Del Piero has become famous over the years for scoring from a special "Del Piero Zone", approaching from the left flank and curling a precise lob into the far top corner of the goal.[12]

In terms of goalscoring, Del Piero holds the all-time record at Juventus.[13] On April 6, 2008, Alessandro Del Piero became the all-time highest-capped Juventus player, ahead of Juve legend Gaetano Scirea. As of May 2010, he is in eighth place in the UEFA Champions League all-time goalscorer records[14] and joint fourth with Roberto Baggio within the Italian national team records

Chiellini made his debut for the Italian national team in November 2004 against Finland, and has since become a regular squad member. He won the European Under-19 Championship with Italy in 2003, and was also a member of the Italy team that won the bronze medals at the football tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was named in the 'UEFA Team of the tournament' of the 2007 U-21 Championships held in the Netherlands where they qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Chiellini was called up to Italy's squad for Euro 2008, and infamously injured captain Fabio Cannavaro in a collision during a training session, that resulted in Cannavaro missing out on the tournament. He was sidelined in the opening game against the Netherlands, which Italy went on to lose 3–0. He subsequently received the nod to partner Christian Panucci at center-back from the second game onwards, cementing his place in the Azzurri defence. While he featured in the group games against Romania and France, his most impressive display was arguably to come against Spain in the quarterfinals, where he famously neutralized the threat of the Spanish attacking duo of David Villa and Fernando Torres. The game ended 0–0, with Italy eventually losing out on penalty shootouts.


During 2010 World Cup qualifying, Chiellini cemented his place as undisputed first-choice in Marcello Lippi's squad. He played the full 90 minutes in all three group matches at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup but Italy were eliminated at the group stages on goal difference. He has now been included in Marcello Lippi's preliminary 30-man squad for the World Cup, and is favourite to start for the azzurri, come the summer. His performances has earned him recognition as a favourite to lead both the azzurri and Juventus backline in coming years

Panucci made his debut in September 1994 against Slovenia in a UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying match. However, he missed out on the final squad following a dispute with Italian national coach Arrigo Sacchi and was not a regular in the Italian national team until the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He has 48 caps and two goals as of the end of 2004. He has represented his country at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2004.

In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Panucci was widely blamed[8] for failing to clear a pass that led to the equalizing goal for South Korea by Seol Ki-Hyun in the dying minutes of the round of 16 match.

Panucci had not played for Italy for over three years after Euro 2004 in Portugal, having been ignored by Marcello Lippi, with whom he had fallen out with in his days at Inter, for the period of the 2006 World Cup. However, the 34 year-old was given a second chance by coach Roberto Donadoni, who called him up for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers against Georgia, Scotland, and the Faroe Islands.

Panucci then expressed his delight at earning his 50th Italy cap in the stadium where he began his career for the Azzurri in the 2-0 win over Georgia in their Euro 2008 qualifying tie in Genoa. Panucci came through the port club's youth ranks before joining A.C. Milan in 1993.

    "It was really emotional for me to play in an arena where I grew up. It may have seemed a little scripted but I'll never forget the standing ovation I received."

Panucci currently has 57 caps for the Azzurri, with four goals. He managed to score his first international goal for Italy since April 2002, when he headed a crucial injury-time winning goal against Scotland on 17 November 2007 in their Euro 2008 qualifying Group B match. Italy then managed to clinch their place at the European Championship finals.

On 13 June 2008, Panucci scored Italy's first goal against Romania at the Euro 2008[9] and became the oldest player to score in outfield play in the competition.

Buffon was awarded his first cap for Italy on 29 October 1997, at the age of nineteen, as an injury replacement for Gianluca Pagliuca during a qualifer for 1998 FIFA World Cup play-off against Russia. He was called up for the 1998 World Cup finals, but did not play a single game as Pagliuca remained first choice. He was a member of the Italy squad at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. Buffon was also the first choice goalkeeper for Italy at the Euro 2000, but broke his hand in a friendly match against Norway just eight days before the tournament started, and had his starting place taken by Francesco Toldo.

During the 2006 World Cup finals, Buffon was in stunning form, as he conceded just two goals and kept five clean sheets, in addition to a 453-minute scoreless streak. The only goals he conceded were an own goal by teammate Cristian Zaccardo against the United States and a Zinedine Zidane penalty in the final against France, which ended 1–1 in extra-time and led to a penalty shootout in which neither Buffon nor Fabien Barthez saved a spot kick. The lone miss was David Trezeguet's effort which clanged off the bottom of the crossbar and failed to cross the line, which enabled Italy's Fabio Grosso to seal the victory for the Azzuri. Buffon received the Yashin Award for his accomplishments throughout the competition.

Buffon was named Italy captain for Euro 2008 after incumbent Fabio Cannavaro was ruled out of the tournament due to injury. In the second game of the group stage against Romania on 13 June, he saved an 81st minute penalty from Adrian Mutu as the match ended 1–1 to keep Italy's hopes alive. Buffon kept a clean sheet against France in the final group game. Italy were eliminated in the quarter-finals nine days later after a 4-2 penalty shootout loss to Spain in which Buffon saved one penalty.