Italy revealed their full 26-man squad for Euro 2020 on Tuesday, with young forward Giacomo Raspadori representing the most surprising inclusion.
Sassuolo forward Raspadori has never played in a competitive senior match for the Azzurri, but has been picked for the competition ahead of Italy opening the tournament against Turkey on June 11.
Gianluca Mancini, Matteo Pessina and Matteo Politano were among the omissions from manager Roberto Mancini's team, the manager having previously axed Paris Saint-Germain forward Moise Kean, and his men welcomed the approaching tournament in bombastic fashion with impromptu rapping from Napoli representatives ahead of the squad announcement.
Italy's Euro 2020 squad and numbers in full
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino)
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Emerson Palmieri (Chelsea), Alessandro Florenzi (Paris Saint-Germain), Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta)
Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Frello Jorge Luiz Jorginho (Chelsea), Manuel Locatelli (Sassuolo), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Stefano Sensi (Inter), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain)
Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo)
Raspadori call-up
Raspadori is a newcomer to the Italian senior squad, though he has played in the nation's youth ranks.
The 21-year-old forward for Sassuolo scored six goals in 27 appearances in Serie A this past season.
“It’s an incredible feeling, it’s even difficult to understand what happened," he told Corriere dello Sport when he was named to the provisional team. "I am proud of this. I didn’t talk to Mancini, but I want to thank him.”
Who has missed out?
Kean missed the cut despite starring at PSG on loan this campaign. There had been speculation of a possible injury, but he played 45 minutes in a friendly last week against San Marino.
Meanwhile, Mancini and Pessina were casualties of a crowded midfield and simply couldn't fit into Mancini's current plans.
