Italy 2006 World Cup squad - Who were Azzurri heroes and where are they now?

Italy put in some sublime performances to lift the 2006 World Cup, but what has happened to the heroes of that tournament since?

Italy are one of the traditional heavyweights in European football. They have won the World Cup four times and have finished runners-up on two occassions.

The last time they became world champions was in 2006 when the marquee event was held in Germany. They defeated Zinedine Zidane's France in the final in a tiebreaker after the two teams were locked at 1-1 following 120 minutes of football.

Although Italy emerged triumphant, the post-match talk was mostly around Zidane's headbutt on Marco Materazzi and his subsequent sending-off.

Italy's title was their first after 24 years which put them just one behind Brazil, the most successful nation in World Cups.

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Gianluigi Buffon - Goalkeeper
Buffon is the most-capped player in the history of Italian football with 176 appearances to his name.
He has played in five World Cups and was awarded the Golden Glove in 2006 for his heroics in between the sticks.
He was selected in the Team of the Tournament as he kept five clean sheets.
Buffon is currently playing for Parma in Serie B. He has a contract till 2024 which would keep him playing until the age of 46.

Gianluca Zambrotta - Right-back
The full-back spent most of his playing career at Juventus, making over 250 appearances.
After leaving Turin, he went on to play for Barcelona and Milan.
He even had a stint in India as a manager, taking charge of Delhi Dynamos.
Zambrotta was a key member of the 2006 World Cup-winning squad and was selected in the Team of the Tournament for his impressive performances.
He recently joined FIFA Museum's team of ambassadors.
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Fabio Cannavaro - Centre-back
Cannavaro is one of the most decorated centre-backs in world football.
He was the skipper of the 2006 World Cup-winning team and has 136 international caps to his name.
He played for several top European clubs like Juventus, Real Madrid and Inter.
The defender won the 2006 Ballon d'Or for his performances in the World Cup.
After retirement, he has become a manager and his last stint was with Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande.
He is currently on a sabbatical after leaving the club in September 2021.

Marco Materazzi - Centre-back
Materazzi scored Italy's equaliser in the World Cup final in what should have been his moment of fame.
However, his duel with Zinedine Zidane and the subsequent head-butt probably garnered him more attention.
He spent most of his career at Inter and won the UEFA Champions League with them in 2009-10.
Materazzi had a stint in India, later on in his career as he led Chennaiyin to an Indian Super League title.
Fabio Grosso - Left-back
Grosso was one of the unlikely heroes for Italy at the 2006 World Cup.
He won a vital final against Australia, scored a stunner versus Germany and then scored the winning penalty for Italy in the final.
He retired from football in 2012 while playing for Juventus.
The former defender has become a manager after retirement and is currently in charge of Frosinone in Serie B.
Mauro Camoranesi - Right midfield
Camoranesi spent the best part of his playing days at Juventus. He won the league title and the Supercoppa Italiana in his debut season with the club and also reached the Champions League final. The winger has 55 caps for the Italian national team.
He has taken to coaching after retiring from football in 2014 while playing for Argentine side Racing Club. His last assignment was with Slovenian side Maribor.
Gennaro Gattuso - Central midfield
Gattuso is one of the most celebrated players of the World Cup-winning squad.
He has 73 international caps and played for AC Milan for most of his career.
The midfielder won several accolades as a player including two UEFA Champions League and Serie A titles.
He has ventured into coaching and is currently in charge of Valencia after previous spells with Napoli and Milan.
Andrea Pirlo - Central midfield
Pirlo is one of the most distinguished midfielders of the modern era.
He has 116 caps for Italy and did not play club football outside of his homeland until the twilight of his career. In 2017, he retired while playing for New York City FC after he kept struggling with various physical problems.
He returned to Juventus as a manager in 2020, but was relieved of his duties at the end of the season.
Simone Perotta - Left midfield
Perotta made 48 international appearances during his career.
He spent most of his days at Roma, winning two Coppa Italia and one Supercoppa Italiana.
He remains associated with Roma in their various football projects.
Francesco Totti - Forward
Totti is a one-club man who spent his entire career at Roma.
The creative forward made 58 appearances for Italy and scored nine goals.
He retired in 2017, but initially remained at Roma as a director. In 2019, he announced his resignation from the post.
Luca Toni - Forward
The forward scored two goals at the 2006 World Cup and both of them came against Ukraine in the quarter-finals.
In 47 appearances for Italy, he scored 16 goals.
In 2016, Toni retired from football after a stint at Verona and the Bayern Munich legend is currently a football pundit with Prime Video.
Daniele De Rossi - Substitute
The midfielder played mostly for Roma during his playing career.
However, he did play for Boca Juniors for a few months at the end of his career. On January 6, 2020, he retired from football citing family reasons.
De Rossi is the highest-scoring midfielder for Italy as he has netted 21 times in 117 appearances.
He is currently working as head coach at SPAL.
Vincenzo Iaquinta - Substitute
Iaquinta played 40 matches for Italy and scored six goals.
He spent most of his career at Udinese and then Juventus, with whom he won the Serie A in 2012-13.
He announced his retirement following the end of his contract in Turin in 2013.
Alessandro Del Piero - Substitute
The Italian legend is one of the most revered strikers in world football.
He spent the best time of his career with Juventus, winning six Serie A and one UEFA Champions League.
Del Piero hung up his boots after playing for Delhi Dynamos in the Indian Super League (ISL).
He currently owns a restaurant in Los Angeles and appears at various footballing events.