That is the lowest total of any major footballing power and has stood for nearly 50 years. From a country that has produced Rossi, Baggi, Del Piero, Vieri et all that blows my mind… Wow.
That is the lowest total of any major footballing power and has stood for nearly 50 years. From a country that has produced Rossi, Baggi, Del Piero, Vieri et all that blows my mind… Wow.
Also useful to know that Italy use their youth teams properly. I remember when Rooney and Cassano were seen as relatively similar players back in the day. Check both of their youth intl records - Cassano 30+ youth intl games, Rooney 1 after under 17s then straight into the main team. In short Italy do not tend to rush in strikers and subsequently someone like Vieri only played 49 games (debut around 22-23). Compare that to say Michael Owen who had played 3 tournaments by 22, they do not get to pad their stats early on