8 – Alessandro Del Piero
With his skill and talent, Alessandro Del Piero could have won an international tournament as starter and lead scorer. Instead, he stands as the greatest disappointment in modern Azzurri history, with a mere three goals over six tournaments, no game-changing performances, and a disastrous Euro 2000 final in which he missed two sitters in front of the goal and effectively cost Italy the trophy.
With this in mind, Del Piero might not have made this list at all were it not for his contribution in qualifiers. Over a decade, Del Piero collected enough goals to become the fourth highest-scoring Azzurro ever, and he was always a presence to be counted on. It is a statistic that cannot be ignored.
That this ranking does not do justice to Del Piero’s quality is something we are the first to acknowledge – with a lethal array of shots, great ball control, prodigious creativity and such a long career, Del Piero could have been one of Italy’s greatest ever strikers. Instead, he saved all of his magic for Juventus, and left almost none for Italy. If this is fate, then fate is selfish.
Forza Ale, we love you
You’re the best captain