ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
1995-1996
Euro 96 Qualifying Game
Italy vs Estonia
Match Worn Shirt
Minotti Lorenzo
The wrist band of 1996 Nike shirt with the color of the Italian flag.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
1995-1996
Euro 96 Qualifying Game
Italy vs Ukraine
Match Worn Shirt
Berti Nicola
Did you Know?
Starting January 1st 1995 the Italian Team changed the technical supplier from Diadora to Nike. This away model together with the blue model above were the first two Nike models used by the team. They were then changed in 1996 with the Euro 1996 kits.
Did you Know?
Italy went to the European championship in England as vice-world champions and many saw Sacchi’s team as the key contender for the title along with Germany, and saw Albertini as Italy’s key player, wearing the number 10 shirt. However, the tournament ended in frustration for the Italians. Arrigo Sacchi’s team selection for the second group game against Czech Republic was based on the presumption that, after the victory over Russia and in the light of the upcoming clash with Germany, Italy could afford playing without a series of key players including Albertini. Italy lost 2–1 to the Czech Republic and then were knocked out of the tournament following a 0–0 draw with future champions Germany, a match the “Azurri” dominated thanks to Albertini’s presence in midfield. Sacchi in one of his interviews admitted the early departure was due to his mistakes and the 1996 squad was his best Italy team, even better than the one that got the second place in USA 1994.
Things to Know:
This style of shirt was only used during Euro 96. The regular style of shirt had the “ITALIA” writing on the bottom of the back side. UEFA just few days before Euro 1996 didn’t allow the team to play with the regular version of the shirt so the team had to hide the “ITALIA” printing. Since the shirts were already prepared for the match, during the first game the team played with a white patch on the bottom of the back in order to cover up the ÏTALIA” writing. Since the second game instead, Nike made this kind of shirts with nothing printed on the back. Take a look at the regular shirts below, used for the Fifa World Cup “France 98” qualifying game to check the differences.
Did you Know?
Euro 96 was the first tournament where teams played with patches on sleeves. On the left sleeve there was the competition patch. On the right sleeve there was the well known “FAIR PLAY” patch. This white shirt was issued for the team but never used because Italy played all the three games of the group’s stage with classical home sky blue shirt.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
Olympic Games “ATLANTA 96”
Match Worn Shirt
Bernardini Antonino
Did you Know?
Antonino Bernardini is an Italian football manager and former footballer, who played as a midfielder.Bernardini was a member of the Italy national under-21 football team that won the 1996 UEFA European Under-21 Championship; he also took part at the Summer Olympics later that year.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
1996-1997
Friendly
Italy vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
Match Worn Shirt
Maldini Paolo
Did you Know?
Although he played as a left back for most of his career, Maldini was naturally right footed, and began playing for Milan as a right back. He was switched to the left back position by manager Arrigo Sacchi due to the presence of Mauro Tassotti on the right for Milan. This was made possible due to Maldini’s tactical versatility and ability with both feet, which allowed him to play anywhere along the backline, and have a long and successful professional career, both with Milan and Italy. Maldini was renowned for his technical ability, athleticism, sliding tackles, stamina, composure and fast energetic forward runs as a left-back or wing-back. He was also an excellent crosser of the ball, and was an effective attacking threat, scoring and assisting several goals throughout his career. In the final few years of his career, as he lost speed, he was moved to a centre-back position, where he excelled in relying on his experience, tactical ability, positioning and timing to win the ball. Maldini was renowned for his technical ability, athleticism, sliding tackles, stamina, composure and fast energetic forward runs as a left-back or wing-back. He was also an excellent crosser of the ball, and was an effective attacking threat, scoring and assisting several goals throughout his career. In the final few years of his career, as he lost speed, he was moved to a centre-back position, where he excelled in relying on his experience, tactical ability, positioning and timing to win the ball.
Did you Know?
Chiesa played for the Italian team from 1996 to 2001, collecting a total of 22 caps with 7 goals. Chiesa made his senior international debut in a 2–2 friendly draw against Belgium on 29 May 1996 in Cremona, marking the occasion with a goal. He was subsequently selected by manager Arrigo Sacchi to play for Italy at the UEFA Euro 1996 tournament later that year, ahead of other established strikers such as Roberto Baggio, Gianluca Vialli, and Giuseppe Signori. Chiesa appeared in two group stage matches, the first in a 2–1 defeat against the Czech Republic, where he scored Italy’s only goal of the match, and the second in a 0–0 draw against Germany, as Italy were eliminated in the first round. He also was called up to the 1998 FIFA World Cup by manager Cesare Maldini as a replacement for Fabrizio Ravanelli. He appeared in Italy’s opening group match of the 1998 World Cup, which ended in a 2–2 draw against Chile, also appearing as a substitute in the 1–0 victory in the round of 16 match against Norway. Italy were eliminated in the quarter finals on penalties by hosts and eventual champions France. Under manager Dino Zoff, Chiesa appeared in Italy’s 6–2 friendly win over the FIFA World Stars on 16 December 1998, organised to commemorate the centenary of the Italian Football Federation, scoring a hat-trick. He also scored a goal in a 4–0 victory over Wales in a European qualifying match in Bologna, on 5 June 1999. He made his final appearance for Italy under Giovanni Trapattoni, in Italy’s 1–0 friendly win over South Africa in Perugia, on 25 April 2001. Alongside Alessandro Del Piero, Chiesa holds the unique record for the most goals scored by an Italian international coming off the bench (5). Chiesa is currently the last player to manage 2 goals in his first two Italy appearances.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
1996-1997
Fifa World Cup “France 98” Qualifying Game
Italy vs Moldova
Match Worn Shirt
Chiesa Enrico
Did you Know?
Di Livio was capped 40 times for Italy. He played for Italy at Euro 96, the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000 (where Italy finished in 2nd place), and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. His first cap came on 6 September 1995 against Slovenia; his last on 18 June 2002 against South Korea. For Italy, he was often used as a holding player to shut down games when the team was ahead, thus sealing the win.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
1997
“Tournoi de France”
Match Worn Shirt & Player Participation Medal
Di Livio Angelo
Things to Know:
The 1997 “Tournoi de France” French for “Tournament of France”, often referred to as Le Tournoi was a friendly international football tournament held in France in early June 1997 as a warm-up to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The four national teams participating at the tournament were Brazil, England, hosts France, and Italy. They played against each other in a single round-robin tournament with the group winner also being the winner of the tournament. England won the tournament after collecting six points by winning their first two matches, against Italy and France, and losing one to Brazil. Brazil were second with five points, a product of a win and two draws. Their 3–3 draw with Italy included two goals from then 22-year-old Alessandro Del Piero and one goal apiece from Romário and Ronaldo as well as one own goal from each of the teams. Del Piero was the top goalscorer of the tournament with three goals scored while Romário scored twice. In the 21st minute of the opening match between France and Brazil, Roberto Carlos scored from a 35-metre curled free kick, often considered one of the best in the modern game.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
1997-1998
Fifa World Cup “France 98” Qualifying Game
Match Worn Shirt
Buffon Gianluigi
Did you Know?
Buffon has represented Italy at all youth levels, from the under-15 side to the under-23 side, as well as the Olympic side in 1996. With the Italy under-16 side, he reached the final of the 1993 UEFA European Under-16 Championship, saving three penalties in the semifinal shootout. With the Italy U-17 side he took part at the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Japan. In 1995, he reached the final of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship with the Italian U-19 side. He was most notably a member of Italy’s 1996 UEFA European Under-21 Championship-winning squad. Buffon was a member of the Italy squad that won the gold medal for football at the 1997 Mediterranean Games in Bari, on home soil. Buffon currently holds the record for the most clean sheets with the Italian national side.
Things to Know:
Between 1993 and 1996, Inzaghi made 14 appearances for the Italy under-21 team, scoring three goals; he was also a member of the Italy under-21 squad that won the 1994 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. Inzaghi earned his first senior cap for Italy in the Tournoi de France, against Brazil on 8 June 1997, under his former under-21 manager Cesare Maldini, and provided an assist to goalscorer Alessandro Del Piero. Italy went on to draw 3–3. He scored his first goal for Italy on 18 November 1998, in a 2–2 friendly draw against Spain; he has since scored 25 goals in 57 appearances. He was called up for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup and the 2006 World Cup. Although Inzaghi went scoreless throughout the 1998 World Cup, as he was mainly deployed as a substitute, he came off the bench to set up a goal for Roberto Baggio in Italy’s final group match against Austria, which ended in a 2–1 win, and allowed Italy to top their group; Italy were knocked out in the quarter finals on penalties to hosts and eventual champions France. At Euro 2000, he was one of Italy’s starting strikers under the new Italy manager Dino Zoff. He scored two goals throughout the tournament; his first came from a penalty, in Italy’s 2–1 opening group win over Turkey, in which he was named man of the match, while his second came in a 2–0 win over Romania in the quarter-finals of the competition; he also set up Stefano Fiore’s goal in a 2–0 win over co-hosts Belgium in his nation’s second group match of the tournament. His performances helped Italy reach the final, where they were defeated by France once again, on a golden goal. Along with Francesco Totti, he was Italy’s top-scorer throughout the tournament. Under Zoff’s replacement, Giovanni Trapattoni, Inzaghi was Italy’s top goalscorer during the qualifying rounds of the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004, scoring his first and only international hat-trick in a 4–0 home win over Wales on 6 September 2003, although he missed the latter tournament due to injury. He went scoreless throughout the 2002 World Cup, making two appearances, as Italy were controversially eliminated in the round of 16 to co-hosts South Korea, although he had a goal wrongly disallowed in Italy’s final group match against Mexico, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Inzaghi’s persistent knee and ankle injuries put a halt to his international play for almost two years before his resurgence at club level, which resulted in being called up by Italy coach Marcello Lippi for the 2006 World Cup final tournament. Due to the abundance of other top strikers such as Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti and Luca Toni, Inzaghi made his only appearance – subbing on for Alberto Gilardino — in Italy’s final group stage match against the Czech Republic on 22 June 2006, scoring his only goal in the tournament, rounding Petr Čech in a one-on-one encounter to net in Italy’s second goal, which made him the oldest player to have scored for Italy in a World Cup, after Daniele Massaro. Italy went on to win the tournament, defeating France on penalties in the final. Following Italy’s fourth World Cup victory, Inzaghi made six appearances under new manager Roberto Donadoni in Italy’s UEFA Euro 2008 qualification campaign, scoring three goals, two of which came in a 2–1 away win against the Faroe Islands on 2 June 2007. He was not called up for the final tournament, however, where Italy were eliminated by eventual champions Spain in the quarter-finals on penalties, and he made his last appearance for Italy on 8 September 2007, in a 0–0 draw against France in Milan. Inzaghi is currently the sixth-highest goalscorer in the Italian national team’s history, with 25 goals, alongside Adolfo Baloncieri and Alessandro Altobelli.
Did you Know?
During the qualifying campaign for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the Azzurri beat England at Wembley Stadium for the second time, with Zola scoring the only goal. In the final tournament, Italy found themselves in another critical shootout for the third World Cup in a row. The Italian side, where Alessandro Del Piero and Baggio renewed the controversial staffetta (“relay”) between Mazzola and Rivera from 1970, held the eventual World Champions and host team France to a 0–0 draw after extra time in the quarter-finals, but lost 4–3 in the shootout. Di Biagio missed the decisive penalty for Italy as it happened to Roberto Baggio in four years before. With two goals scored in this tournament, Baggio is still the only Italian player to have scored in three different FIFA World Cup editions.
Did you Know?
At youth international level, Baggio won the 1992 European U-21 Championship with the “Azzurrini”, and in the same year, he took part in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona with the Italian Under-23 side, under manager Cesare Maldini. Baggio made his international debut with the senior Italian squad under Arrigo Sacchi, on 21 December 1991, at the age of 20, in a 2–0 victory against Cyprus, in Foggia. He featured in the match along with fellow debutant Demetrio Albertini, who would play alongside Baggio in midfield with Italy for much of the 1990s. On 24 February, he scored his first goal for Italy, in Oporto, against Portugal. After representing Italy during their 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, notably scoring the winning goal against Portugal, which allowed Italy to qualify for the tournament, Baggio was named a member of Italy’s 1994 World Cup squad under Arrigo Sacchi. In his first World Cup, he combined with his unrelated namesake Roberto Baggio. Together, they helped Italy to reach the 1994 World Cup final, scoring decisive goals, only to lose to Brazil on penalties. Dino scored two goals in the tournament: his first was a decisive match-winning header, assisted by Giuseppe Signori, in Italy’s first-round victory over Norway, and his second came from a strike from distance against Spain in the quarter-finals, assisted by Roberto Donadoni. Baggio would continue to play in other tournaments for Italy throughout the 1990s, such as Euro ’96, in which the Italians were eliminated in the first round. Baggio also played in every game for Italy at the 1998 World Cup under Cesare Maldini, which would prove to be his last major tournament with the Azzurri; Italy were eliminated on penalties once again by hosts and eventual champions France, after reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament. Baggio was initially in Dino Zoff’s provisional 26-man Italy squad for Euro 2000, before missing the final cut. He made his final appearance for Italy on 13 November 1999, in a 3–1 home defeat to Belgium in an international friendly match. In total, Baggio amassed 60 caps and scored 7 goals for the Italian national team between 1991 and 1999. He is remembered as a notable international player of the 90s by the Italian fans due to his World Cup performances, and as he was able to obtain a first-team midfield spot over many other talented players in their prime, such as Roberto Donadoni, Luigi di Biagio, Demetrio Albertini, Roberto Di Matteo, Nicola Berti, Alberigo Evani, Attilio Lombardo, Diego Fuser, Francesco Moriero, Sandro Cois, Stefano Fiore, Fernando De Napoli, Antonio Conte, Angelo Di Livio, Gianluca Pessotto, Carlo Ancelotti, Giancarlo Marocchi, Giuseppe Giannini, Giuseppe Signori, Roberto Baggio, Roberto Mancini, and Gianfranco Zola, among others.
Did you Know?
Buffon was awarded his first cap for Italy’s senior team under Cesare Maldini on 29 October 1997, at the age of 19 years and 9 months, as an injury replacement for Gianluca Pagliuca during the first leg of the 1998 World Cup qualification play-off against Russia, in Moscow; with this cap, Buffon became the youngest goalkeeper to feature for Italy post-World War II. This record was beaten by Gianluigi Donnarumma on 1 September 2016. Buffon made notable saves under snowy conditions in a 1–1 away draw, only being beaten by a Fabio Cannavaro own goal. The result helped Italy to qualify for the upcoming World Cup. He was a member of the squad for the 1998 World Cup finals, initially as the third choice goalkeeper. After Angelo Peruzzi’s injury, he was promoted to second-choice goalkeeper behind Pagliuca, with Francesco Toldo being called up as third-choice, but Buffon did not play a single game in the tournament. Italy were eliminated in the quarter-finals on penalties to hosts and eventual 1998 World Cup champions France.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
1998-1999
FIGC 100th Anniversary
Italy vs World Stars
Match Issued Shirt
Negro Paolo
Did you Know?
On December 16th 1998 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of F.I.G.C. , Italy Team played against a selection of World Stars in the Olympic Stadium in Rome. To celebrate this event a special shirt was made by Nike with a special badge on sleeve and with match details printed on chest. This shirt is a spare shirt ready for the match but without name on the back. The team played instead with player’s names on the back. It belonged to Paolo Negro, who we got the shirt from.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
1998
Player’s Cap Token
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
1998-1999
Euro 2000 Qualifying Game
Match Issued Shirt
Did you Know?
Buffon became the first choice goalkeeper during the Euro 2000 qualifying campaign and was due to start in goal during the finals under manager and former Italy goalkeeping legend Dino Zoff, but he broke his hand in a warm up match against Norway just a few days before Italy’s opening match against Turkey. His starting place was taken by backup goalkeeper Francesco Toldo, and Christian Abbiati was called up as a replacement third keeper, with Francesco Antonioli being promoted to second goalkeeper. Italy reached the final of the tournament, losing once again to France.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
1999-2000
Euro 2000 Qualifying Game
Match Worn Shirt
Fuser Diego
Did you Know?
Fuser initially represented Italy at Under-21 level on 18 occasions between 1987 and 1990, scoring 2 goals; he was notably a member of the team that finished in third place at the 1990 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, under manager Cesare Maldini. He also played for the senior Italy national football team on 25 occasions between 1993-2000, scoring 3 goals, and he was a participant at the 1996 UEFA European Championship under manager Arrigo Sacchi, making 3 appearances as Italy were eliminated in the first found. He was also in Dino Zoff’s provisional 26 man squad for Euro 2000 before missing the final cut.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
1999-2000
Euro 2000 Qualifying Game
Denmark vs Italy
Match Worn Shirt
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
1999-2000
U-21
Match Worn Shirt
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
U-21
Euro 2000
Match Worn Shirt
Mezzano Luca
Things to Know
The 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was the 12th staging of UEFA’s European Under-21 Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Slovakia from 27 May to 3 June 2000. The tournament had 47 entrants. Northern Ireland competed for the first time. For the first time a finals tournament with two groups of four teams was held, with one of those teams, Slovakia, having been chosen as the hosts.[1] The top four teams in this competition qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics. Italy won the competition for the fourth time, thus qualified for the Olympic Games finals, alongside Czech Republic, Slovakia and Spain.
Did you Know?
Pirlo captained Italy to an Under-21 European Championship in 2000, wearing the number 10 jersey, and winning the awards for best player and top scorer of the tournament with three goals; he scored both goals – one from a penalty and the other from a free kick – in Italy’s 2–1 victory over Czech Republic in the final. He also led the Italy Under-21 side to a semi-final finish in the 2002 edition of the tournament. Pirlo played for Italy at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, scoring a goal in Italy’s 1–0 opening win over hosts Australia on 13 September; he also helped Italy win the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. With 46 matches and 16 goals, Pirlo is the record appearance holder for the Italian U-21 side, and the second highest goal-scorer after Alberto Gilardino.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
U-21
“Tournoi de Toulon 2000”
Player’s Participation Medal
Did you Know?
The Toulon Tournament (officially the Festival Espoirs de Toulon) is a football tournament which traditionally features invited national teams composed of under-21 players. Although the first tournament in 1967 featured club teams, it has been limited to national teams since 1974. The tournament is held around the Region-du-Var, with the final being held in Toulon itself. Toulon Tournament is not run under the supervision of FIFA or an individual national association. Therefore, it is deemed as the most prestigious of all friendly tournaments involving U-21 teams, and considered an unofficial world championship before FIFA introduced the official World Youth Cup in 1977. The Toulon Tournament plays two 40-minute halves. Many top players played in the “Tournoi de Toulon” while they were U21 including Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, David Ginola, Claudio Taffarel.
Euro 2000
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organised by UEFA, association football’s governing body in Europe. The finals of Euro 2000 were co-hosted (the first time this happened) by Belgium and the Netherlands, between 10 June and 2 July 2000. Spain and Austria also bid to host the event. The final tournament was contested by 16 nations. With the exception of the national teams of the hosts, Belgium and the Netherlands, the finalists had to go through a qualifying round to reach the final stage. France won the tournament, by defeating Italy 2–1 in the final, via a golden goal. The finals saw the first major UEFA competition contested in the King Baudouin Stadium (formerly the Heysel Stadium) since the events of the 1985 European Cup Final and the Heysel Stadium disaster, with the opening game being played in the rebuilt stadium. A high-scoring tournament with many exciting matches and a very high standard of play, Euro 2000 is often named by football writers as one of the greatest-ever international tournaments.
Did you Know?
Del Piero was part of Dino Zoff’s Italy’s squad that reached the final of Euro 2000. Although he was primarily used as a substitute for either Francesco Totti or Stefano Fiore, Del Piero appeared in every match of the tournament, and he wore the number 10 shirt. On 11 June, Del Piero came on as a substitute for Fiore in the 30th minute in Italy’s opening Group B 2–1 win against Turkey, hitting the cross-bar from a free-kick.[206] In the final group game, Del Piero started the match and scored the winner with a notable goal against Sweden, taking it past two players before curling the ball into the top corner from outside the area with a left-footed strike; Del Piero also set up Luigi Di Biagio’s opener from a corner. Del Piero made his second start of the tournament for Italy in their semi-final against co-hosts, Netherlands, which Italy won on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra-time. In the final, he missed two gilt-edged chances in Italy’s 2–1 loss to France in extra time, and was criticised by the Italian press.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
Euro 2000
Match Worn Shirt
Delvecchio Marco
Did you Know?
Delvecchio was a member of the Italy under-21 teams that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 1994 and 1996; in total, he scored 6 goals for the under-21 side in 24 appearances between 1992 and 1996. He also represented Italy at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, making three appearances and scoring once. He made his international for the Italy senior side debut under manager Dino Zoff on 16 December 1998, in a friendly match in Rome against the FIFA World-Stars, commemorating the first century since the founding of the Italian Football Federation. He was subsequently called up by Zoff for the 22-man Italian squad that took part at Euro 2000, making three appearances throughout the tournament. His first international goal came against France in the Euro 2000 final, although Italy later conceded an equaliser in the final minute of stoppage time, and were defeated in extra-time from a golden goal. Delvecchio travelled to Korea with the 23-man Italian 2002 World Cup squad, but did not play during the tournament under manager Giovanni Trapattoni. After the World Cup, he scored a goal in a 2–0 friendly win over Northern Ireland, and on 18 February 2004, he made his final appearance for Italy against the Czech Republic, missing out on Trapattoni’s Euro 2004 squad. Delvecchio scored 3 goals in 14 starts for the Italy senior team, scoring 4 goals in 22 total appearances for Italy between 1998 and 2004.
Things to Know:
The UEFA Euro 2000 Final was a football match played on 2 July 2000 at Feijenoord Stadion in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to determine the winner of UEFA Euro 2000. France won the match, defeating Italy 2–1. Marco Delvecchio gave Italy the lead in the 55th minute and they held on until the final minute of injury time, when Sylvain Wiltord crashed a low drive past Italian keeper Francesco Toldo to take the game into extra time. France won the game just before half-time in extra-time when Robert Pirès cut the ball back for David Trezeguet to fire the golden goal and win the tournament for France.
Watch above the Euro 2000 Final highlights
Did you Know?
In total, Pessotto was capped 22 times for Italy between 1996 and 2002, under managers Arrigo Sacchi (1996), Cesare Maldini (1996–98), Dino Zoff (1998–2000), and Giovanni Trapattoni (2000–2002). He played for his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where Italy were eliminated by hosts and eventual champions France on penalties in the quarter finals, and at Euro 2000. At Euro 2000, Pessotto scored a penalty in the semi-final shootout win over co-hosts the Netherlands, which sent Italy into the final against France. In the final, Pessotto would set up Delvecchio’s goal; however, he only picked up a runners-up medal, as Italy lost to France for the second consecutive tournament, after conceding a last minute equaliser, and then subsequently conceding a David Trézéguet golden goal. Trezeguet ironically became his Juventus teammate the following season. He was unable to take part at the 2002 World Cup with Italy due to injury.
Did you Know?
Italy vs Netherlands of Euro 2000 is definitely one of the most memorable football games of the last 30 years. The Netherlands were eliminated on penalties for the fourth time in five major tournaments as Italy advanced to a UEFA EURO 2000 final against France. Frank de Boer and Patrick Kluivert had already missed spot kicks in normal time as the Oranje failed to break down an Azzurri team reduced to ten men after the 34th-minute dismissal of Gianluca Zambrotta. Italy scored the first three penalties in the shoot-out through Luigi Di Biagio, Gianluca Pessotto and Francesco Totti, while De Boer and Jaap Stam both missed for the Netherlands. Kluivert scored and Paolo Maldini missed to restore Oranje hopes, but man of the match Francesco Toldo saved Paul Bosvelt’s kick to confirm Italy as 3-1 winners. Dino Zoff made two changes to the formula that provided quarter-final victory against Romania, with Di Biagio replacing the injured Antonio Conte and Totti making way for Alessandro Del Piero. Injury also forced counterpart Frank Rijkaard to make one switch, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst replacing Artur Numan at left-back. The Netherlands served notice of their attacking threat as early as the third minute when Dennis Bergkamp’s lob put Phillip Cocu through on goal, but he could only prod over. Bergkamp struck the post after letting fly from the right. It was looking good for the Oranje, even better when Zambrotta received a second yellow card and then, four minutes later, a final place seemed theirs for the taking when Alessandro Nesta held back Kluivert. Toldo dived to his left to divert De Boer’s penalty behind, however – a sign of things to come. Despite their numerical inferiority, Italy adopted a bolder approach as Stefano Fiore and Del Piero both had sighters at goal and the Netherlands were finding it hard to impose their rhythm. They could not fail to make use of the space afforded them, though, and another fine passing move concluded with Edgar Davids going down under Iuliano’s challenge. Kluivert hit the post from the resulting penalty and despite constant pressure, hopeful efforts from Van Bronckhorst, Marc Overmars and substitute Clarence Seedorf were all they could muster as the tie drifted into extra time. They were almost hit by a golden goal sucker punch, and it needed sharp reactions from Van Der Sar to deny Marco Delvecchio with his feet. By then Aron Winter had entered the fray for a Dutch record 84th cap – this would not be a momentous day for the Netherlands, though.
Things to Know:
Italy eliminated the Netherlands in the semi-finals, despite going down to ten men and facing two penalty kicks. Italian goalkeeper Francesco Toldo, who had been drafted into the starting XI as Gianluigi Buffon missed the tournament through injury, made two saves in the penalty shootout (in addition to his penalty save in normal time) to carry the Italians to the final. He helped his country to finish runner-up at Euro 2000 behind the world champions France, keeping three clean sheets, and saving one penalty during the semi-final against hosts Netherlands and adding two more penalty saves in the successful shootout; he was named man of the match. Toldo was named to the Team of the Tournament for his performances, also earning the third place in the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper Award. Following his successful European Championship campaign, Toldo retained Italy’s starting goalkeeping spot throughout the first half of Italy’s 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, although Buffon was ultimately named Italy’s starting goalkeeper for the 2002 World Cup.
Watch above Netherlands vs Italy highlights
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
Euro 2000
Player’s Cuffs by UEFA
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
Olympic Games “SYDNEY 2000”
Match Worn Shirt
Ferrari Matteo
Did you Know?
During the Olympic Games the team supplier’s logos are very limited due CIO’s rules. Some teams are usual to use multiple smaller logos but some others like Italy Team changed its usual shirt with two Kappa logos on both sleeves with a shirt with regular Kappa logo’s size on one sleeve only making this shirt different from any other from other competitions.
Did you Know?
The Italy Team’s uniform for the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games were exclusively designed by Benetton. It was a very innovative uniform since it was not the classic uniform as seen before but it was a fancy colorful uniform. No neck tie, a classic white shirt below the blazer to keep completed open in the neck and to wear together with sneakers and colored pants. But the pants were made in 5 different colors to represent the olympic rings colours and to represent the supplier’s pay off “United Colors of Benetton”. Athletes had a different pants colors that merged together made an amazing colorful parade.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
Olympic Games “SYDNEY 2000”
Opening Ceremony Uniform
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
Olympic Games “SYDNEY 2000”
Participation Medal and Coca-Cola Olympic Village Athlete’s Vending Token
Did you Know?
The Coca-Cola athlete’s village vending machine coin was given to every athlete of the “Sydney 2000” Olympic Games in order to be used inside the Olympic Village. Coca-Cola was official sponsor of the Olympics and let every athlete getting their drinks for free inside the Olympic Village. Athletes had to insert the coin inside the vending machine and get their soda. Once the soda was dispensed athletes could get the coin back for multiple uses.
ITALY NATIONAL TEAM
“Giubileo degli Sportivi”
Italy vs All Star
Match Worn Shirt
Del Piero Alessandro
Watch above the “Giubileo degli Sportivi”highlights
Did you Know?
On October 2000 to celebrate the “Jubilee” a friendly game called “Giubileo dello Sport” between Italy Team and an All Star team made of foreign players playing in Serie A was played at the “Stadio Olimpico”of Rome in front of of Pope John Paul II. Most of the best international players of that period played the game including Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero, Gabriel Batistuta, Edgar Davids, Gianfranco Zola, Paolo Maldini. The Italian team played with a special “Jubilee”badge on chest that was used for this game only.
