Italy is home to one of Europe’s Big Five football leagues, Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system. The league was founded in 1898 to pit the best teams across the country in one competition. After all, Italy was one of the places where the earliest forms of football were played, influencing and shaping the modern game we all know and love today. It’s arguably one of the best leagues in the entire world, thanks in part to its incredible tradition and storied history, with an excellence that is matched by only a few other footballing powerhouses.
Italy’s football culture remains vibrant today, with fans flocking to their preferred pay-by-mobile gaming sites to earn money and bet on some of these top teams. While the country is teeming with talented players and much-loved teams in the lower ranks, Serie A has hosted the most prestigious clubs ever to exist.
Inter Milan
While the club is formally known in Italy as Football Club Internazionale Milano, it’s affectionately known around the world as Inter Milan. Since its debut in 1909, it has never left the top echelon of Italian football, which certainly says a lot about its reputation. If that isn’t enough, you can simply look at the team’s accolades, which include 36 domestic trophies, three Champions League titles, and an Italian seasonal treble (three cups in the same season). With such a strong team and repertoire, it’s no surprise that Inter has the highest home game attendance in the country and the fourth-highest on the continent.
Atalanta
Atalanta is known for its fighting spirit. While it has a storied history and plenty of appearances in major tournaments, it also holds the record for the most Serie A seasons played without winning the league title. In addition, the club holds the record for the most Serie A promotions, which means it has consistently risen and fallen between the ranks, demonstrating its players’ tenacious spirit. This has essentially paid off, propelling them from a mid-level to a highly respected and successful team. In the club’s 2023-2024 season, Atalanta established themselves as a team to watch out for, making its debut in the UEFA Europa League final, reaching the 2024 Coppa Italia final, and qualifying for the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League. That’s a hell of a run!
Juventus
Juventus just might be the most successful club in the history of Italian football and has certainly been one of the world’s top ten wealthiest since the mid-1990s. To list the team’s many triumphs would take more time than we have, but we can highlight its achievement as the only team in history to claim all five confederation trophies. Its players, coaches, and other figures have consistently won awards, and it has also produced the most players for the national team. What’s most intriguing is that Juventus was founded by a bunch of schoolboys, hence the meaning of the club’s name: ‘Youth’. It’s a unique athletics club turned professional football team—the second oldest of its kind in the country. With such a significant history, marked by significant events such as an unbeaten season and the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus built up an extraordinary legacy.
AC Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (AC Milan) might not have had the consistent staying power of Inter Milan, but it has come close enough. It spent almost its entire history in Serie A, except for two seasons in the 1980s. But AC Milan achieved something no team had done before by becoming the first team to become Serie A winners without losing a single game. Internationally, it’s the most successful club, winning seven Champions League/European Cup titles, five UEFA Super Cups, and plenty more. With 31 domestic honours and 20 major international trophies, it’s not difficult to place AC Milan on a list of top-rated teams. Add in their glowing club statistics and records, and the team only continues to fortify its standing.
Roma
It might be becoming apparent by now that each of these high-powered teams has something particularly special about them. For Associazione Sportiva Roma (AS Roma or simply Roma), it’s the fact that 16 of their players, including Francesco Totti, have won the prestigious FIFA World Cup while playing at Roma. Of course, the club also has many other accolades, including three Serie A wins and nine Coppa Italia titles. Its longstanding and intense rivalry with Lazio, which shares Stadio Olimpico, is considered one of the greatest rivalries in the world. These matches have demonstrated the loyalty of their fanbase, which has sometimes led to unfortunate events such as fan violence and clashes.
SSC Napoli
Despite being the youngest team on this list, SSC Napoli managed to gain the respect and recognition to earn its place among Italy’s best. Founded in 1926, the club was already at a slight disadvantage, competing against more established teams. Whether it was due to limited resources or the fact that it needed time to find its footing, it didn’t see the success that these other teams saw right away. But once the club gained more traction and even acquired Argentine great Diego Maradona, the trophies began to roll in, and league titles became solidified in its history. Despite a period of bankruptcy, the team is now ranked the fifth-highest-earning football club in the league, worth $379 million. Although not as adorned with honours as some other Serie A teams, they have won six Coppa Italia cups and one UEFA Cup, among several others.
Image Source: Pixabay
