Italy national under-21 football team
The Italy national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Italy and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation.
| Nickname(s) | Gli Azzurrini (The Little Blues) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Italian Football Federation (Federazion Italia Giuoco Calcio – FIGC) | |||||||||||
| Head coach | Carmine Nunziata | |||||||||||
| Captain | Lorenzo Pirola | |||||||||||
| Most caps | Andrea Pirlo (46) | |||||||||||
| Top scorer | Alberto Gilardino (19) | |||||||||||
| First international | ||||||||||||
| U-23: Italy 3–1 Austria (Varese, Italy; 1 November 1970) U-21: Portugal 1–0 Italy (Funchal, Italy; 23 December 1976) | ||||||||||||
| Biggest win | ||||||||||||
| Italy 7–0 Estonia (Catanzaro, Italy; 23 March 1995) Italy 8–1 Wales (Pavia, Italy; 5 September 2003) Italy 7–0 Liechtenstein (Casarano, Italy; 6 September 2012) San Marino 0–7 Italy (Serravale, San Marino; 16 November 2023) | ||||||||||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||||||||||
| Norway 6–0 Italy (Stavanger, Norway; 5 June 1991) Records for competitive matches only. | ||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | ||||||||||||
| Appearances | 5 (first in 1992) | |||||||||||
| Best result | Bronze medallist: (2004) | |||||||||||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | ||||||||||||
| Appearances | 22 (first in 1978) | |||||||||||
| Best result | Champions (1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||
The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, held every two years. Italy (along with Spain) is the most successful nation in the history of the competition, with five Championships won (1992, 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2004). Italy has also been twice runner-up of the competition, in 1986 and 2013.
From 1990 to 2004 the team established near-total dominance of European Under-21 football, winning five of the seven tournaments.
Italy's Under-21s played the first match at the new Wembley Stadium, on 24 March 2007, against England Under-21s. The game resulted in a 3–3 draw, with Giampaolo Pazzini scoring all 3 goals for the Azzurrini.
Prior to the 2008 Olympic games, Italy U-21s went on to win the 2008 Toulon Tournament by beating Chile (1–0) in the final. It was the first time they had won this tournament, previously their best had been runner-up on two occasions.[1]
UEFA European Under-21 Championship edit
Since the under-21 competition rules insist that players must be 21 or under at the start of a two-year competition, technically it is an U-23 competition. For this reason, Italy's record in the preceding U-23 competitions is also shown.
- 1972: Did not qualify. Finished 2nd of 3 in qualification group.
- 1974: Losing quarter-finalists.
- 1976: Did not qualify. Finished 2nd of 3 in qualification group.
UEFA U-21 Championship Record edit
| Year | Round |
|---|---|
| 1978 | Quarter-finals |
| 1980 | Quarter-finals |
| 1982 | Quarter-finals |
| 1984 | Semi-finals |
| 1986 | Runners-up |
| 1988 | Quarter-finals |
| 1990 | Semi-finals |
| 1992 | Champions |
| 1994 | Champions |
| 1996 | Champions |
| 1998 | Did not qualify |
| 2000 | Champions |
| 2002 | Semi-finals |
| 2004 | Champions |
| 2006 | Group stage |
| 2007 | Group stage |
| 2009 | Semi-finals |
| 2011 | Did not qualify |
| 2013 | Runners-up |
| 2015 | Group stage |
| 2017 | Semi-finals |
| 2019 | Group stage |
| 2021 | Quarter-finals |
| 2023 | Group stage |
| 2025 | TBD |
| Total | 22/24 |
- *Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Olympics football Record edit
Since 1992 Olympic football changed to a U-23 event, and the European U-21 teams are technically U-23 teams. European national teams qualify for the Olympic football tournament through the UEFA European U-21 Championship.
- Before 1992: See Italy national football team
- 1992: Quarter-finals
- 1996: Group stage
- 2000: Quarter-finals
- 2004: Bronze medal
- 2008: Quarter-finals
- 2012: Did not qualify
- 2016: Did not qualify
- 2020: Did not qualify
- 2024: Did not qualify
Overage players in Olympic Games edit
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gianluca Pagliuca (GK) | Massimo Crippa (MF) | Marco Branca (FW) | |
| Did not select | |||
| Matteo Ferrari (DF) | Andrea Pirlo (MF) | Did not select | |
| Tommaso Rocchi (FW) | Did not select | ||
Mediterranean Games Record edit
Mediterranean Games Football tournament was U-23 event in 1993 and 1997.
- 1993: 4th place
- 1997: Winners
- 2001: a U20 event
- 2005: filled with B team
Honours edit
Coaches edit
- 1976–1986: Azeglio Vicini
- 1986–1996: Cesare Maldini
- 1996–1997: Rossano Giampaglia
- 1997–2000: Marco Tardelli
- 2000–2006: Claudio Gentile
- 2006–2010: Pierluigi Casiraghi
- 2010–2012: Ciro Ferrara
- 2012–2013: Devis Mangia
- 2013–2019: Luigi Di Biagio
- 2019–2023: Paolo Nicolato
- 2023–present: Carmine Nunziata
Coaching staff edit
Current technical staff:[2]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Carmine Nunziata |
| Assistant coaches | Emanuele Filippini Matteo Brighi |
| Goalkeeping coach | Fabrizio Ferron |
| Athletic trainer | Vito Azzone |
| Match analyst | Marco Mannucci |
| Doctors | Daniele Mazza Vincenzo Santoriello |
| Physiotherapists | Nicola Sanna Emiliano Bozzetti |
| Osteopath | Cristiano Pompili |
| Head of Delegation | Mauro Balata |
| Secretary | Manfredi Martino |
Recent results and forthcoming fixtures edit
Only official matches are listed.[3]
2023 edit
| 24 March 2023 Friendly | Serbia | 0–2 | Italy | Backa Topola, Serbia |
| 18:00 |
| Stadium: TSC Arena |
| 27 March 2023 Friendly | Italy | 3–1 | Ukraine | Reggio Calabria, Italy |
| 20:00 | Lovato 19' Colombo 71', 82' | Kashchuk 68' | Stadium: Stadio Oreste Granillo |
| 22 June 2023 2023 UEFA U21 Champ. | France | 2–1 | Italy | Cluj Napoca, Romania |
| 20:45 |
| Report |
| Stadium: Cluj Arena Attendance: 11,286 Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands) |
| 25 June 2023 2023 UEFA U21 Champ. | Switzerland | 2–3 | Italy | Cluj Napoca, Romania |
| 18:00 | Report | Stadium: Cluj Arena Attendance: 4,339 Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim (Sweden) |
| 28 June 2023 2023 UEFA U21 Champ. | Italy | 0–1 | Norway | Cluj Napoca, Romania |
| 20:45 | Report |
| Stadium: Cluj Arena Attendance: 2,347 Referee: Erik Lambrechts (Belgium) |
| 8 September 2023 2025 Championship qual. | Latvia | 0–0 | Italy | Jūrmala, Latvia |
| Report | Stadium: Sloka Stadium |
| 12 September 2023 2025 Championship qual. | Turkey | 0–2 | Italy | Adapazari, Turkey |
| Report | Stadium: New Sakarya Atatürk Stadium |
| 17 October 2023 2025 Championship qual. | Italy | 2–0 | Norway | Bolzano, Italy |
| Report | Stadium: Stadio Druso |
| 16 November 2023 2025 Championship qual. | San Marino | 0–7 | Italy | Serravalle, San Marino |
| Report | Stadium: San Marino Stadium |
| 21 November 2023 2025 Championship qual. | Republic of Ireland | 2–2 | Italy | Cork, Republic of Ireland |
| Report | Stadium: Turners Cross |
2024 edit
| 22 March 2024 2025 Championship qual. | Italy | v | Latvia | TBD, Italy |
| 26 March 2024 2025 Championship qual. | Italy | v | Turkey | TBD, Italy |
| 5 September 2024 2025 Championship qual. | Italy | v | San Marino | TBD, Italy |
| 10 September 2024 2025 Championship qual. | Norway | v | Italy | TBD, Norway |
| 15 October 2024 2025 Championship qual. | Italy | v | Republic of Ireland | TBD, Italy |
Players edit
Players born in 2002 or later are eligible for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Players in bold have been already capped with the senior team.
Current squad edit
The following players were called up for the qualifying matches against San Marino and Republic of Ireland on 16 and 21 November 2023, respectively.[4]
Caps and goals as of 21 November 2023, after the match against the Republic of Ireland.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Sebastiano Desplanches | 11 March 2003 | 5 | 0 | Palermo | |
| GK | Jacopo Sassi | 24 July 2003 | 0 | 0 | Pro Vercelli | |
| GK | Gioele Zacchi | 10 July 2003 | 0 | 0 | Giana Erminio | |
| DF | Lorenzo Pirola (captain) | 20 February 2002 | 17 | 3 | Salernitana | |
| DF | Riccardo Calafiori | 19 May 2002 | 6 | 0 | Bologna | |
| DF | Mattia Zanotti | 11 February 2003 | 5 | 0 | St. Gallen | |
| DF | Diego Coppola | 28 December 2003 | 3 | 0 | Hellas Verona | |
| DF | Daniele Ghilardi | 6 January 2003 | 2 | 0 | Sampdoria | |
| DF | Riccardo Turicchia | 5 February 2003 | 2 | 0 | Juventus Next Gen | |
| DF | Gabriele Guarino | 14 April 2004 | 1 | 0 | Empoli | |
| DF | Tommaso Barbieri | 26 August 2002 | 0 | 0 | Pisa | |
| DF | Samuel Giovane | 28 March 2003 | 0 | 0 | Ascoli | |
| MF | Edoardo Bove | 16 May 2002 | 12 | 0 | Roma | |
| MF | Cesare Casadei | 10 January 2003 | 7 | 0 | Leicester City | |
| MF | Cher Ndour | 27 July 2004 | 5 | 0 | Paris Saint-Germain | |
| MF | Matteo Prati | 28 December 2003 | 5 | 0 | Cagliari | |
| MF | Giovanni Fabbian | 14 January 2003 | 4 | 1 | Bologna | |
| MF | Alessandro Bianco | 1 October 2002 | 1 | 1 | Reggiana | |
| MF | Jacopo Fazzini | 16 March 2003 | 1 | 0 | Empoli | |
| FW | Francesco Pio Esposito | 28 June 2005 | 5 | 2 | Spezia | |
| FW | Wilfried Gnonto | 5 November 2003 | 5 | 5 | Leeds United | |
| FW | Giuseppe Ambrosino | 10 September 2003 | 2 | 0 | Catanzaro | |
| FW | Cristian Volpato | 15 November 2003 | 2 | 1 | Sassuolo | |
| FW | Luca Koleosho | 15 September 2004 | 1 | 0 | Burnley | |
Recent call-ups edit
Following are listed players called up in the previous twelve months who are still eligible to represent the under-21 team.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Filippo Rinaldi | 4 December 2002 | 0 | 0 | Olbia | v. Norway, 17 October 2023 |
| GK | Alessandro Sorrentino | 3 April 2002 | 1 | 0 | Monza | 2023 UEFA Euro U21 PRE |
| DF | Matteo Ruggeri | 11 July 2002 | 6 | 0 | Atalanta | v. Norway, 17 October 2023 |
| DF | Michael Kayode | 10 July 2004 | 1 | 0 | Fiorentina | v. Norway, 17 October 2023 |
| DF | Giorgio Cittadini | 18 April 2002 | 2 | 0 | Monza | v. Turkey, 12 September 2023 |
| DF | Destiny Udogie | 28 November 2002 | 8 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | v. Latvia, 8 September 2023 INJ |
| DF | Giorgio Scalvini | 11 December 2003 | 6 | 0 | Atalanta | 2023 UEFA Euro U21 |
| DF | Mattia Viti | 24 January 2002 | 6 | 0 | Sassuolo | v. Ukraine, 27 March 2023 |
| MF | Fabio Miretti | 3 August 2003 | 8 | 1 | Juventus | v. San Marino, 16 November 2023 INJ |
| MF | Simone Panada | 2 June 2002 | 0 | 0 | Sampdoria | v. Turkey, 12 September 2023 |
| MF | Franco Tongya | 13 March 2002 | 0 | 0 | AEK Larnaca | v. Turkey, 12 September 2023 |
| FW | Lorenzo Colombo | 8 March 2002 | 20 | 4 | Monza | v. San Marino, 16 November 2023 INJ |
| FW | Gaetano Oristanio | 28 September 2002 | 5 | 0 | Cagliari | v. San Marino, 16 November 2023 INJ |
| FW | Tommaso Baldanzi | 23 March 2003 | 3 | 1 | Empoli | v. San Marino, 16 November 2023 INJ |
| FW | Sebastiano Esposito | 2 July 2002 | 7 | 0 | Sampdoria | v. Norway, 17 October 2023 |
| FW | Marco Nasti | 17 September 2003 | 2 | 1 | Bari | v. Norway, 17 October 2023 PRE |
| FW | Matteo Cancellieri | 12 February 2002 | 12 | 4 | Empoli | 2023 UEFA Euro U21 |
INJ Withdrew due to injury | ||||||
Records edit
Players in bold are still eligible to represent the Under-21 team. Caps and goals with the Olympic team are included.
Most appearances edit
The following is the top 10 most capped under-21 players:[5]
| Rank | Player | Period | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Pirlo | 1998–2002 | 46 | 16 |
| 2 | Marco Motta | 2005–2009 | 42 | 1 |
| 3 | Francesco Bardi | 2011–2015 | 37 | 0 |
| 4 | Matteo Brighi | 2000–2004 | 35 | 2 |
| 5 | Daniele Bonera | 2001–2004 | 34 | 0 |
| 6 | Matteo Ferrari | 1999–2002 | 33 | 3 |
| 7 | Luca Marrone | 2009–2013 | 32 | 1 |
| Alessandro Rosina | 2004–2007 | 32 | 4 | |
| 9 | Luca Caldirola | 2010–2013 | 31 | 1 |
| Marco Donadel | 2004–2006 | 31 | 1 |
Top goalscorers edit
The following is the top 10 under-21 goalscorers:[6]
| Rank | Player | Period | Goals | Caps | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alberto Gilardino | 2000–2004 | 19 | 30 | 0.63 |
| 2 | Andrea Pirlo | 1998–2002 | 16 | 46 | 0.34 |
| 3 | Manolo Gabbiadini | 2010–2013 | 12 | 24 | 0.5 |
| 4 | Massimo Maccarone | 2000–2002 | 11 | 15 | 0.73 |
| Gianluca Vialli | 1983–1986 | 11 | 20 | 0.55 | |
| Patrick Cutrone | 2017–2021 | 11 | 25 | 0.44 | |
| 7 | Cristiano Lucarelli | 1996–1997 | 10 | 10 | 1 |
| Robert Acquafresca | 2007–2009 | 10 | 16 | 0.62 | |
| Christian Vieri | 1992–1996 | 10 | 19 | 0.52 | |
| 10 | Gianluca Scamacca | 2018–2021 | 9 | 15 | 0.6 |
| Ciro Immobile | 2009–2013 | 9 | 16 | 0.56 | |
| Andrea Belotti | 2013–2015 | 9 | 18 | 0.5 | |
| Roberto Mancini | 1982–1986 | 9 | 26 | 0.34 | |
| Alberto Paloschi | 2008–2013 | 9 | 29 | 0.31 |
See also edit
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ "Categories - All 4". www.channel4.com.
- ^ "Staff" (in Italian). FIGC. 18 March 2021.
- ^ "FIGC". www.figc.it. 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Doppia trasferta a San Marino e in Irlanda: Nunziata convoca 27 Azzurrini, prima chiamata per Barbieri". 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Classifica Presenze". Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (in Italian). 24 September 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
- ^ "Classifica Marcatori". Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (in Italian). 5 August 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
External links edit
- Official website, Italian language
- Official website, English language
- The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-21/U-23 Championships.