A four-time World Cup winner, Italy, as a country, has been one of the most dominant forces in international football so far. Having showcased a natural flair for the game, they continue to do so. Over the decades, some of the best Italian footballers have emerged, with some of them taking up other more prominent roles like coaching and so on.

The Italian top flight, known as Serie A, is widely regarded as the world's most tactical professional football league as of 2023. Moreover, even though their last World cup win was in 2006, the Azzurri have since housed some of the greatest footballers of all time.

Top 10 best Italian footballers as of 2023

Italy is known for being home to a variety of incredible football talent. From the likes of the legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to centre-back Franco Baresi. The list of the most-capped Italian footballers can be long and abundant.

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According to an in-depth analysis, Sports Brief has compiled a list detailing some of the best and most famous Italian footballers in the world right now. Have a peek and find more information, including details about their ages and nationalities.

10. Fabio Cannavaro

Full name	Fabio Cannavaro
Date of birth	13 September 1973
Age	49 years of age (as of March 2023)
Current team(s)	Serie B club Benevento
Social media presence	Instagram, Twitter

Fabio Cannavaro is a former professional football legend renowned for being part of his country's 2006 World Cup-winning squad. He is one soccer player who boasts impressive career accolades, having won various awards, such as the Ballon d'Or.

Additionally, he was the only defender during his time to ever earn the FIFA World Player of the Year tag. As of March 2023, Fabio coaches the Chinese football club Guangzhou.

9. Ciro Immobile

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Full name	Ciro Immobile Cavaliere OMRI
Date of birth	20 February 1990
Age	33 years of age (as of March 2023)
Current team(s)	Serie A club Lazio and the Italy national team
Social media presence	Twitter

A native of Torre Annunziata, Campania, Italy, Ciro Immobile is a famed football star playing as a striker for the Serie A club Lazio and his nation's national team. He is one of those players who began displaying a keen interest in soccer at an awesomely tender age.

By the time he was a teenager, Ciro had already made his professional debut. He is a well-decorated player and has played with various teams such as Juventus, Genoa, Torino, and Sevilla before joining the club Lazio.

8. Emiliano Sala

Most-capped Italian footballers — Emiliano Sala of Nantes during the French Ligue 1 match between Angers and Nantes on 16 December 2016 in Angers, France. Photo: Vincent Michel
Source: Getty Images

Full name	Emiliano Raúl Sala Taffarel
Date of birth	31 October 1990 to 21 January 2019
Team(s)	Nantes, Cardiff City
Social media presence	Twitter, Instagram

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The name Sala should be a name given to aspiring soccer players because every athlete with the name boasts impressive career accolades. Emiliano Sala was an Argentine footballer who played for prestigious French clubs like Bordeaux and Nantes before he passed on.

Even though he was an Argentine, Emiliano found a niche in Italian clubs, playing for clubs like Sorrento. Unfortunately, the legend died in a plane crash on 21 January 2019.

7. Mario Balotelli

Black Italian footballers — Mario Balotelli of Adana Demirspor. Photo: Ivan Romano
Source: Getty Images

Full name	Mario Balotelli Barwuah
Date of birth	12 August 1990
Age	32 years of age (as of March 2023)
Current team(s)	Swiss Super League club Sion
Social media presence	Twitter, Instagram

At the seventh position sits the talented yet crazy Italian striker Mario Balotelli. He is one of his country's most intriguing and exciting soccer players today. Aside from his impressive career accolades, TIME Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013.

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But where is he now? As of March 2023, Mario plays as a striker for the Swiss Super League club Sion. He also has career spells in clubs like Inter Milan, Liverpool, AC Milan, and Manchester City. He is among the best black Italian footballers in history.

6. Andrea Pirlo

Ful name	Andrea Pirlo
Date of birth	19 May 1979
Age	43 years of age (as of March 2023)
Current team(s)	Süper Lig club Fatih Karagümrük as coach
Social media presence	Instagram, Twitter

Andrea Pirlo is one of those players on the list who, after retiring or completing their soccer careers as players, took on other roles like coaching and managerial. He was known for his ball-control abilities during his time as a player.

Talk of having impressive accolades, Andrea was elected to the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2019. As of 2023, he is the head coach of Juventus.

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5. Alessandro Del Piero

Full name	Alessandro Del Piero
Date of birth	9 November 1974
Age	48 years of age (as of March 2023)
Profession	Former soccer player
Social media presence	Instagram, Twitter

Alessandro Del Piero is an Italian-based former professional football player renowned for his creativity around the ball. He is often categorised among the best players of his generation.

On top of being widely regarded as one of the best-looking Italian footballers, the goal-scorer is known for scoring 346 goals during his career days. Consequently, Del Piero still ranks among the best Italian goal-scorers of all time.

4. Carlo Ancelotti

Full name	Carlo Ancelotti
Date of birth	10 June 1959
Age	63 years of age (as of March 2023)
Current team(s)	Real Madrid as coach
Social media presence	Twitter, Instagram

Arguably, there is no way Carlo Ancelotti would miss such a list. He is one player who had humble beginnings as a midfielder in an Italian football club. Being part of the Italian national squad, he participated in two World Cups and one UEFA Euro during his playing days.

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As of March 2023, Carlo Ancelotti is the La Liga club Real Madrid manager. He is also famed for being one of three managers who have won the UEFA Champions League thrice: twice with Milan and once with Real Madrid.

3. Roberto Baggio

Full name	Roberto Baggio
Date of birth	18 February 1967
Age	56 years of age (as of March 2023)
Profession	Former soccer player
Social media presence	Instagram, Twitter

Roberto Baggio is one legend famed for being the only Italian to score goals in three World Cups; 1990, 1994, and 1998. He was also known for playing as a second striker, attacking midfielder, and other offensive positions.

Additionally, he was a gifted creative playmaker and set-piece specialist, renowned for his curling free-kicks, dribbling skills, and goalscoring abilities. In 1993, Roberto was the FIFA World Player of the Year.

2. Francesco Totti

Full name	Francesco Totti
Date of birth	27 September 1976
Age	46 years of age (as of March 2023)
Team(s)	Roma
Social media presence	Instagram, Twitter

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At the second position sits Francesco Totti, a former professional football player who played solely for Roma and the Italy national team. Before retiring, Totti spent his entire career at Roma, winning a Serie A title, two Coppa Italia titles, and two Supercoppa Italiana titles.

Francesco is the second-highest scorer of all time in Italian league history with 250 goals and is regarded among the highest-scoring Italians in all competitions with a tally of 316 goals. Furthermore, he was part of the 2006 FIFA World Cup-winning squad.

1. Gianluigi Buffon

Full name	Gianluigi Buffon
Date of birth	28 January 1978
Age	45 years of age (as of March 2023)
Current team(s)	Parma
Social media presence	Twitter, Instagram

Gianluigi Buffon is currently the best Italian footballer of all time. Captaining and playing as a goalkeeper for the Serie B club Parma, he is allegedly one of the few players to have made over 1,100 professional career appearances and still counting.

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He was the first goalkeeper to receive the Golden Foot Award while being included in Pele's FIFA 100 list in 2004. Aside from his soccer career, Buffon is known for his charity work and has even been named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations' World Food Programme.

One thing about ranking the best Italian footballers of all time is that it will always draw a lot of debates, considering the massive talent pool of legends it has. Besides, Italy is the second-most prosperous footballing country in history. Therefore, it is only fair that every soccer athlete with impressive accolades is ranked.

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Authors

Claudia Kogi

Claudia Kogi is a Kenyan content creator with over 3 years of experience. Claudia joined Sportsbrief.com as a writer in January 2022, covering sports and relatable content.