A surprisingly scant number of Italians have excelled in the English top-flight, certainly in comparison to their French or Spanish counterparts.
Those who did though, were typically forwards and usually bellisimo. Here, we look at the best Italian players to grace the Premier League.
5) Fabrizio Ravanelli
The ‘White Feather’ will always chiefly be recalled for his explosive debut hat-trick against Liverpool, a dream opening day that had Middlesbrough fans believing in the brightest of futures.
Benefitting from pure magic served up by the impish Juninho, the fearsome forward helped himself to 31 goals that season, as Boro reached both domestic finals. They were thoroughly entertaining to watch too, however much or little that mattered.
Because ultimately, both finals were lost and the North-East club were relegated, with Ravanelli soon after making it known he was unhappy and wanted to move on.
Having been one of the favourites in the Premier League top scorer odds all season, the former Juventus ace even lost out in that, falling short of Alan Shearer’s haul.
4) Roberto Di Matteo
A Champions League-winning manager for Chelsea no less, after stepping in as interim in the spring of 2012, Di Matteo was already a club legend, having scored in three different finals for the Blues.
The last of these, famously, was struck after just 43 seconds, a goal that downed Middlesbrough in the 2000 FA Cup Final. And what a piledriver it was.
Joining from Lazio in 1996, the midfielder quickly formed an unlikely, but highly productive partnership with Dennis Wise, their styles complimenting the other perfectly.
In six seasons in England, he made 175 appearances, a class act in almost all of them.
3) Gianluca Vialli
After striking up an iconic goal-scoring partnership with his good friend Roberto Mancini at Sampdoria, Vialli moved to Juventus whereupon his shaved head and distinctive running style became so familiar to Channel Four audiences, lapping up every weekend of Gazzetta Football Italia.
By the time he arrived at Stamford Bridge, the now bald Vialli was past his prime, but was welcomed as a stonewall superstar, nonetheless.
Twenty-one goals in 58 outings, along with four trophies - two as player-manager - was a splendid return but equal to his accomplishments was how he was admired and loved as a gentleman.
His sad passing in January 2023, shook football to its core.
2) Paolo Di Canio
The former Lazio, Juventus, Napoli, Milan and Celtic striker had a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. The latter talked in whispers. The former had a megaphone.
Leaving his many controversies aside however, Di Canio delighted and astonished in equal measure as a player, a forward with the rare ability to alter the live betting with a moment of genius or a stupendous volley.
From pushing over referees to scoring stunners, he was a human firework. A Roman candle, if you will.
1) Gianfranco Zola
The Sardinian maestro scored 59 times for Chelsea, winning seven trophies along the way, but to reduce his time on our shores to mere facts and figures spectacularly misses the point.
It’s akin to measuring the Sistine Chapel ceiling or noting the running time of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita.
With a sense of mischief and a touch that was utterly sumptuous, Zola made the Premier League his playground and for seven years we were privileged enough to witness the results.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
