A couple of months after leaving Milan as a free agent, Mario Mandzukic has decided to hang his cleats. The striker scored over 200 goals during the course of his illustrious career. The 35-year-old spent 5 years with Juventus, hitting the net 44 times and contributing to 4 Scudetti and 3 Coppe Italia.
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A month-long battle for the European crown came to an end on Sunday night as Italy beat England 3-2 in a dramatic penalty shootout to win their first European Championship title since 1968. To recap the European Championship for the last time, we took a look at the best XI from Euro 2020.
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After the Azzurri missed out on the last World Cup, Roberto Mancini has completely revamped the way Italy play, replacing the old-school catenaccio with an exciting brand of possession-based football. To find out the reasons behind Italy’s success at Euro 2020, we delved deeper into the tactical nuances of the Azzurri’s performances throughout the tournament.
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“It’s coming to Rome!!!” – Leonardo Bonucci’s wild shout into a TV camera as tension unfolded and celebration kicked off was the sum up of the Azzurri’s dream night. They did it. Italy beat England on penalties, conquering their Wembley fort at the end of an exhausting 120-minute battle to come out of Euro 2020 as winners.
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Euro 2020 has been described by many observers as one of the most exciting international tournaments ever held, and luckily for calcio fanatics, some of their favorite Serie A stars were at the center of the action. But before the competition closes its curtains, let’s look back at the Top 10 crazy moments which included players who ply their trade in the Italian league.
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Cristiano Ronaldo is an amazing professional and, since the day he shook the world of Serie A by agreeing on a four-year deal with the Old Lady, he did exactly what he was expected to do. The numbers speak for themselves. But he never seemed in “love” with the whole Juventus environment.
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It’s happening, folks. Serie A is about to lose yet another major star in favor of a rich Premier League club. After a week full of speculations with some back and forth news reports, the unofficial confirmation came on Saturday. Romelu Lukaku will complete his return to Chelsea after spending two years at Inter.
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Inter found a replacement for the departed Achraf Hakimi in the form of 25-year-old Dutch wing-back Denzel Dumfries, who has joined the reigning Serie A champions on a 5-year deal. The transfer fee is said to be around €14 million, including add-ons.
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After the Azzurri missed out on the last World Cup, Roberto Mancini has completely revamped the way Italy play, replacing the old-school catenaccio with an exciting brand of possession-based football. To find out the reasons behind Italy’s success at Euro 2020, we delved deeper into the tactical nuances of the Azzurri’s performances throughout the tournament.
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When they received Roma at the Stadio Arechi in January 1999 for Serie A Matchday 19, things were not going well for Salernitana. The Campanians were winless in seven games and were already involved in the relegation dogfight. Against them was Zdenek Zeman’s Roma, another team who was experiencing a frustrating campaign.
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Many would struggle to picture how such a gentle character as Javier Zanetti could turn into a ruthless defender – but what made him a true legend was the fact that he managed to do so without losing his composure and honesty. So clean was his style of play and so respectful his attitude that Zanetti has only ONE Serie A expulsion to his name.
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The Derby d’Italia between Juventus and Inter is generally a pretty balanced match. But by surfing through the Italian football almanacs, one may stumble into a bizarre occurrence when the Bianconeri demolished their fierce rivals, who were fielding their youth team in protest, by a record score of 9-1 to put their hands on the 1960-61 title.
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In the Spring of 2007, the yellow-and-red side of the Italian capital was breathing a refreshing Champions League air as Roma prepared to face Manchester United at Old Trafford in the second leg of a UCL Quarter Final. But things did not quite go as planned for Roma, whose trip to Manchester ended up in a shocking 1-7 hammering.
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Gabriel Omar Batistuta graced Italian football from 1991 to 2003, becoming a Fiorentina legend and winning a Scudetto with Roma. Tactically gifted, industriously astute and strikingly prolific, Batistuta was a force to be reckoned with when in full flow. A once-in-a-lifetime player who relentlessly terrorized defenses without a second thought. He also remained Argentina’s top-scorer until Lionel Messi took over the record.
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First Name: George. Family Name: Weah. Those four letters attached to a number nine shirt will always make a pleasant shiver run up any Milan supporter’s spine. Weah was an atypical “number nine” with impressive physical and technical characteristics. He made the red-and-black side of the San Siro fall in love despite scoring less that one would expect considering his massive skills.
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Between the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st Century, the history of Juventus was enameled by the presence of a somewhat unique player. It was September 12, 1993 – 15 minutes before the end of a match against Foggia – when La Vecchia Signora fans got introduced to a Padua-born boy with the face of a nice guy and a sublime right foot. His name was Alessandro Del Piero.
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September 22, 1976, is a day that means a lot to Brazil, to Inter fans, and to the whole world of football: That’s the day when, in Rio de Janeiro, one of the best players ever was born – Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, better known on the world football stage simply as Ronaldo. The first Ronaldo, and for many the only one. This is the story of a truly unique player.
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It may be hard to believe nowadays, but Parma were one of the dominant forces not just in Italy but across all Europe during the 1990s. Since they have been struggling with their finances during the 2000s and 2010s, it may be a distant memory for football fans that Parma were a force to be reckoned with in the previous decade.
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Gianluca Busio is set to join Venezia coming from Sporting Kansas City. At the tender age of 19, Busio has 61 senior appearances for Sporting KC thus far, and became the third youngest player to start a match in Major League Soccer.
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Three Feathers, Three Flowers, The Flowering One, The Walled One…The names of football clubs in San Marino are poetic and charming, drawing from Italian and from Latin to convey an image of calcio whose dimension is still genuine and down-to-earth. Here is a short history of the local league and its participating teams.
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Somewhere in the middle of Italy, surrounded by the Belpaese territory, lies a microstate with a strong identity and a long-lasting history, even when it comes to football. San Marino is a minuscule country perched atop the Appennine Mountains. Here is a short story of their passion for calcio, in partnership with the local Football Association.
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Milan urgently need a new playmaker to fill the vacant No.10 position. With the calciomercato approaching its steadfast conclusion towards the end of August, Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara undeniably face a race against time now to complete Stefano Pioli’s squad with a first choice “CAM.”
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Football’s ultimate competition is upon us. The swashbuckling attacking style of 2019-20 Champions League semi-finalists RB Leipzig leaves spaces for the attacking full-backs and flying speed wingers of Liverpool. However, Liverpool will need to fine-tune their midfield and shore up their defensive weaknesses to progress in the Champions League.
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In our journey across the most famous Italian football stadiums, today we come back to Turin. Juventus are the most famous team in town, but Turin is also the cradle of Torino – a club with less international reputation but that truly exemplifies the passion for football in the city. Their current home is appropriately called Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.
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The off-season is almost over folks, and the Cult of Calcio proudly announces the launch of the second season of your less-than-favorite series, the Calcio Parody. We’ll take you live to the club’s headquarters to see how the newly appointed Simone Inzaghi is faring at his new home, whilst he’s being welcomed by CEO Giuseppe Marotta, and of course the president himself.
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As part of The Cult of Calcio’s journey in the world of women’s football in Italy, our last chat of the year was with Chanté-Mary Dompig of Empoli Femminile. Chanté is a 19-year-old striker from the Netherlands who currently spearheads Empoli’s attack in the Serie A Femminile. She showed to have very clear ideas despite her young age and also gave us some nice sample of her Italian speaking skills!
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Sassuolo Femminile are one of the most interesting sensations in the Italian women’s football season and Swedish defender Sophie Brundin is playing no small part in it. Aged 23, Sophie is at her first season with Sassuolo after playing for four years at college level in the U.S. On top of being a professional footballer, Sophie is also a sports entrepreneur.
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A couple of months after leaving Milan as a free agent, Mario Mandzukic has decided to hang his cleats. The striker scored over 200 goals during the course of his illustrious career. The 35-year-old spent 5 years with Juventus, hitting the net 44 times and contributing to 4 Scudetti and 3 Coppe Italia.
After Juventus, also Milan, Inter, and Atalanta announced their Champions League lists today. Due to the restrictions, the Rossoneri had to keep out three players. Instead, the Nerazzurri and the Bergamaschi have basically been able to fit their whole squads.
The summer transfer market has always been a thrilling circus full of unexpected twists and turns. For Juventus, however, it felt as if their transfer session never truly peaked. With Fabio Paratici out of the picture, the more cautious Federico Cherubini took over, alongside the newly-appointed CEO Maurizio Arrivabene.
The Cult of Calcio recently reported of Milan’s intention to see off two players in particular – Samu Castillejo and Andrea Conti.
The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo did not materialize out of thin air, but its timing left Juventus in a precarious spot. After a summer filled with chatter, he announced he was transferring in the immediate lead-up of the Empoli match. The Portuguese ace acknowledged the situation while bidding farewell.
The Giallorossi have released their official financial figures for the 2020/21 season, culminating with the summer transfer market that ended recently on August 31.
Verona and Salernitana have opened talks to bring in Franck Ribery. The Frenchman has been without a team since his contract with Fiorentina expired in June. He would prefer to stay in Italy, but his demands on personal terms are sizable. Karamguruk are also after him.
André Onana is about to return from his suspension, but he is most likely going to leave Ajax, with Inter waiting in the wings to snatch him up as a free agent in 2022. Unless Andrei Radu manages to unseat Samir Handanovic beforehand, as Simone Inzaghi has some doubts about the captain.
Tiago Pinto gave his piece of mind regarding Roma’s current situation and the recently concluded transfer market – which without saying, did bring in a lot of surprises.
Three matches into the 2021/22 season, already some are calling for the head of Mikel Arteta as the Arsenal coach comes under severe pressure following three successive losses. But, he stays in the position and many pundits and fans alike are divided on whether he should be given more time.
Lazio and Salernitana are prohibited from making deals, but they might have tried to circumvent the arrangement with a deadline day deal involving Cedric Gondo, who was on loan to the Granata in the past two seasons. The Italian FA and the League will look into other suspicious ties between the two clubs.
After being active for much of the summer transfer window, Milan will look to keep up the momentum when the winter transfer window resumes in January – according to Calciomercato.com.
