Italian football is a place where players can come of age. When you think of players that have developed their game in Italy, and later gone on to become...
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Tanti Auguri Manuel: Rui Costa at 45
On the day of his 45th birthday, this sketch celebrates the silky brilliance of Manuel Rui Costa. During his spells at Fiorentina and AC Milan, the Portuguese number 10 enchanted...
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When Calcio Ruled the World: Il Soldatino, Angelo Di Livio
Angelo Di Livio is a joke. That is harsh on a man who won three Scudetti, two Coppe Italia and the Champions League, but the former Juventus and Fiorentina...
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Luis del Sol: The Spanish ‘Postman’ who delivered at Juventus
In 1983, former professional footballer Luis del Sol took the decision to close his struggling furniture company and put some of his remaining cash towards studying for his coaching...
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Lilian Thuram and Lazio’s Irriducibili: A meeting that defined calcio
It was an episode that sent shockwaves across the footballing world as Lazio’s ultras took transfer matters into their own hands. On a warm June day back in 2001,...
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Andriy Shevchenko: A story of rationality and forgiveness
28 May 2003, Old Trafford, Manchester. At the ‘Theatre of Dreams’, the final of the Champions League is on-scene, the title contended between Milan and Juventus—an all-Italian European final...
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How Paul Ince overcame oppression to become an Inter great
When Paul Ince swapped Manchester for Milan in the summer of 1995, it was a move that left supporters of the club he departed bemused. Ince had been a...
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Paolo Mantovani: Sampdoria and the unforgettable years
Paolo Mantovani didn’t fit the traditional mould for Italian football presidents. Self-effacing, quiet and open, he controlled Sampdoria with thought and love. His time in charge of the Blucerchiati...
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Trevor Francis: Remembering Sampdoria’s elegant Englishman
“He was the best Englishman to have played in Italy.” Fabio Capello on Trevor Francis. “I was very pleased to hear this,” Francis admitted, later responding to Capello’s praise....
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Protagonists of the Derby della Lanterna, Part III: Patrik Schick
The first player to feature in our contemporary section of ‘Protagonists of the Derby della Lanterna’ is none other than Samp’s Patrik Schick. With seven goals so far this...
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