Emblems. Icons. Legends. Every club has men who became simply more than just ‘a player’ spending almost all, if not their entire, careers there – they were the flag bearers for the team, defending the cause with honour and will forever remain intrinsically linked with the colours they wore. Here, I take a look at five Italian fantasisti who became cult heroes with their respective clubs, and perhaps even more so due to the fact they wore the most symbolic number in any team – the number 10.
So in no particular order, let’s take a closer look at this fantasista five in…
Five Italian fantasisti who became club icons:
5. Giancarlo Antognoni – Fiorentina (1972 – 1987)
Adored by many, Antognoni was a silky smooth, elegant playmaker during the 70’s and 80’s for la Viola. Making his debut as an 18-year old with the club he would go on to captain, lifting the Coppa Italia just three years later. For a player of such quality and finesse who became the club’s emblem, he remained a down-to-earth figure always playing for the team, as former colleague Giancarlo De Sisti noted: ‘Giancarlo was a great, not just as a player, but as a man. You knew he was world class. But rather than think he was a primadonna, he listened to all and took advice from those above and below him’. Antognoni was also part of the victorious 1982 Italy World Cup team, although unfortunately missed the final due to injury. During his time in Florence he played over 400 games, scoring 61-goals in total, and such is the clubs love for him they recently celebrated ‘Antognoni’s Day’ in the city, 24-years after he wore the famous purple shirt for the last time. Still, upon his retirement Florentine fans didn’t have to wait too long to see another long-haired super-star grace their number-10 shirt, as a certain Roberto Baggio emerged…
Simply adored by the viola faithful
4. Alessandro Del Piero – Juventus (1993 – )
One of the most famous names in world football and still going strong, Del Piero has been Juventus for well over the last 17-years, breaking the record for most appearances for the club with over 650 (and counting). Inheriting the number-10 shirt from Roberto Baggio, Alex went on to accomplish far more with the Turin side winning virtually every team honour in site. But winning is easy – a true mark of a players loyalty lies when the going gets tough – and when Juve were relegated to Serie B in 2006 in light of the Calciopoli scandal Del Piero was one of the superstars who refused to jump ship, staying and firing la Vecchia Signora back to the top flight. Probably the most forward playing of these five fantasisti, Del Piero has also scored the most goals in the illustrious club’s history scoring in excess of 280. He even has a trade-mark goal, a curler which was so consistent, that particular area of the pitch is now named after him – the Del Piero Zone!
Il Capitano strikes another fantastic free-kick
3. Francesco Totti – Roma (1992 – )
Bursting on the scene a whole season earlier than Del Piero, from the Italian capital was Rome’s Francesco Totti – Il Gladiatore. Again, inheriting the number-10 shirt from a previous legend is a scary prospect for any young player, especially one who’s been your hero and held in as high regard by the Roma faithful as iconic captain Giuseppe Giannini was. But not only did Totti rise to the challenge, he surpassed his idol in every way – appearing, scoring and winning more, most notably captaining the side to Serie A glory in 2001. Like Del Piero, Totti has gone on to break most club records at his beloved Roma; appearing the most (615 and counting), and scoring the most (over 260 goals). A true Romanisti and no stranger to little controversies, Totti has elevated himself to status of true Roma legend by consistently menacing derby rivals Lazio, by scoring often and coming up with multiple, unique ways to celebrate derby victories.
The scurge of Lazio, Totti gets behind a TV camera after scoring a derby goal
2. Gianni Rivera – Milan (1960 – 1979)
Signed as a 17-year old by Milan for a then world record fee, Italy’s pre-Baggio Baggio, Gianni Rivera went on to make more than 500-appearances for the club, thus becoming its – and Italian football’s ‘Golden Boy’. The midfield fantasista was an extraordinary talent for Milan, winning many trophies both domestically and in Europe. Indeed, he helped the now European giants, to win their first ever European Cup in 1963 – then repeated the feat in 1969. He scored 122-times for Milan and probably created double that amount during his 19-year stint at the San Siro. At international level, he may have achieved greater things had he not had to share the number-10 role with one man – the final player on this list…
The Golden Boy dribbles round yet another opponent for Milan
1. ‘Sandro’ Mazzola – Inter (1960 – 1977)
Alessandro Mazzola’s life could have been straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster movie. Son of a football legend (Valentino) who tragically died in the Superga Air disaster of 1949 when little Sandro was just 6-years old, he went on to become a legend in his own right, with Internazionale. The attacking genius of the team that was known as La Grande Inter, Mazzola won numerous titles including two back-to-back European Cup’s and Intercontinental Cup’s in the same years (1964 and 1965), as well as four Serie A title’s. Blessed with great close control, a superb passing range and an eye for goal, Mazzola was creativity personified and spent his entire professional career wearing the black and blue of Inter, making well over 417-appearances and scoring over 116-goals. Forever linked with Inter, bizarrely he is also intrinsically linked with fellow fantasista and derby rival Gianni Rivera – with whom he had to infamously share the creative role for the Azzurri during the 1970 World Cup tournament. As the then coach Ferruccio Valcareggi refused to believe they could play together, he preferred to use Mazzola in the first half of a match, then substituted him for Rivera to start the second – a solution he called the staffetta – the relay.
Deadly infront of goal - Mazzola scores again
