Italy news

The Minister for Sport has commented on the possibility of the Italian centre-back being called up to the national team.

An interview with the Udinese player who still hopes to play for Italy at the World Cup.

The Newcastle midfielder is ready for the World Cup play-offs.

Mario Balotelli is representing the 14th club of what has been an eventful career, with a former Italy international team-mate telling GOAL why the enigmatic striker still has “that itch” to play. Giuseppe Rossi knows what ‘Super Mario’ is all about as a performer and person, and has pointed out that - amid all of the headlines - the charismatic forward has always just wanted to play.

The crisis in Italian football academies and Italian football? The former centre forward has a solution: bring in former top-quality players such as Roberto Baggio to the youth teams.

The midfielder will be unable to respond to Gattuso's call-up due to a new physical problem.

The former striker speaks harshly about the current state of Italian football, not sparing Inzaghi and Allegri from his criticism.

Bad news for both Conte's Napoli and Gattuso's national team: Vergara has suffered an injury.

The Gazzetta dello Sport claimed earlier this week that Arsenal have expressed an interest in signing Inter prospect Francesco Pio Esposito. However, the Nerazzurri's CEO, Beppe Marotta, moved quickly to quell the transfer talk by insisting that there had not been any contact between the two clubs. "Arsenal did not ask for Pio," the Italian told Sport Mediaset before Inter's Coppa Italia semi-final first leg against Como on Tuesday. "But also Inter are not a selling club. We don't make player trading our main activity.

In a move that has caught the footballing world off guard, former Paris Saint-Germain maestro Marco Verratti is reportedly on the verge of a sensational return to the Italy national team. The veteran midfielder, who was once the heartbeat of the Azzurri engine room, has been largely forgotten by the international mainstream since his high-profile move to Qatar. However, with the high-stakes pressure of the World Cup play-offs looming on the horizon, new head coach Gennaro Gattuso appears ready to roll the dice on one of the most technically gifted players of his generation.

A collector’s tribute to Italy’s most iconic football decade.