Published 2026-03-17
Juventus, relegated. Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina, Reggina all docked points. The year was 2006, and Italian football, for decades a colossus bestriding the European game, lay prostrate. Calciopoli wasn't just a scandal; it was an amputation, severing the trust between fans and clubs, between the game and its integrity. The very soul of Serie A, once a beacon of tactical innovation and defensive mastery, seemed to rot from within.
For years, the aftershocks rumbled. Attendances dwindled. Top players, once desperate to ply their trade in Italy, looked elsewhere. The Champions League, once a regular hunting ground for Italian clubs, became a distant dream. From 2011 to 2022, only two Italian teams reached the final – Juventus twice. This was a far cry from the period between 1989 and 1998, when a Serie A club featured in nine of the ten finals, winning five.
The national team, too, felt the chill. Despite an improbable World Cup victory in 2006 amidst the chaos, the Azzurri then crashed out of the group stage in both 2010 and 2014. They failed to even qualify for the 2018 World Cup, a national humiliation not witnessed since 1958. The tactical conservatism that once defined Italian football had become a straitjacket, stifling creativity and leaving them behind the curve of evolving international styles.
But from the ashes, a phoenix began to stir. The appointment of Roberto Mancini as national team manager in 2018 proved to be the catalyst. Mancini, a man who understood the flair and attacking verve that had been suppressed, set about rebuilding with a clear philosophy: possession, pressing, and fluid attacking football. He didn't just pick the best players; he picked the right players for his system, instilling a belief and camaraderie that had long been absent.
Suddenly, the Azzurri were playing with a smile. Jorginho orchestrated from deep, Barella surged forward, and Chiesa terrorized defenses. They embarked on an astonishing 37-match unbeaten run, a new world record. This wasn't the cynical, defensive Italy of old; this was an Italy that attacked with purpose and defended with intelligence. They scored 93 goals during that run, conceding just 12.
The culmination, of course, was Euro 2020 (played in 2021). Italy, unfancied by many, swept aside Belgium and Spain before facing England in the final at Wembley. With unwavering resolve, they weathered the early storm, equalized through Leonardo Bonucci, and ultimately triumphed in a penalty shootout. Gianluigi Donnarumma’s saves sealed a victory that felt like a collective exhale for a nation that had held its breath for too long.
This wasn't just a trophy; it was a vindication. It was proof that Italian football could evolve, could entertain, and could still conquer. The scars of Calciopoli remain, a permanent reminder of how low the game can sink. But the triumph of Euro 2020 was a powerful statement: Italian football is not dead. It has been reborn, vibrant and full of promise.
My hot take? With the new generation of talent emerging in Serie A and Mancini still at the helm, Italy will make a deep run into the 2026 World Cup, silencing any remaining doubters and cementing their return to the global elite.