Euro 2009 Contenders - Italy

Italy were undefeated in their qualifying campaign, beating Albania 4-0 and winning 2-0 in Croatia. Their biggest win in the qualifying phrase was the 5-0 thrashing of Azerbaijan.

Despite a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Israel in the first leg of the Play-Offs, Italy still progressed, winning 3-1 away, to book their place in the finals.

Star Man
In-keeping with tradition, Italy possess many great players in their squad who are making their mark on the European scene. Players such as Giuseppe Rossi, Paolo De Ceglie and Robert Acquafresca are all players of high quality.

However, the player who is causing the biggest stir in Italy at the moment is Inter Milan’s Mario Balotelli.

A quick striker with bundles of technique and skill, Balotelli has been used as a left winger at times by Inter boss Jose Mourinho. Balotelli’s parents are both Ghanaian and it wasn’t until he turned 18 that Balotelli received an Italian passport.

He made his debut for Inter in 2007 and has impressed when given a chance at the San Siro. The forward scored on his debut and also netted crucial goals in Italy’s Play-Off victory in Israel. He has been a regular feature in the Inter Milan side this season.

Manager
Italian legend Pierluigi Casiraghi was appointed the Italian Under-21 manager in 2006 and successfully guided them to the finals in Sweden. A distinguished playing career saw Casiraghi represent Italy 44 times as well as play for some of the biggest clubs in Europe, such as Juventus and Lazio.

As a coach, Casiraghi is still relatively inexperienced. He was in charge of Monza Calcio youth team and was then appointed manager of little-known Italian team AC Legnano in the Italian fourth division. Despite having never managed on the big stage, he was appointed Italy Under-21 manager in 2006 and led them to the last Championship in Holland.

The Italy Squad

Goalkeepers
Andrea Consigli (Atalanta BC), Salvatore Sirigu (Cagliari Calcio), Andrea Seculin (ACF Fiorentina).

Defenders
Marco Andreolli (US Sassuolo Calcio), Salvatore Bocchetti (Genoa CFC), Domenico Criscito (Genoa CFC), Paolo De Ceglie (Juventus), Lino Marzoratti (Empoli FC), Marco Motta (AS Roma), Francesco Pisano (Cagliari Calcio), Andrea Ranocchia (AS Bari).

Midfielders
Ignazio Abate (Torino FC), Antonio Candreva (AS Livorno Calcio), Alessio Cerci (Atalanta BC), Luca Cigarini (Atalanta BC), Daniele Dessena (UC Sampdoria), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Piermario Morosini (Vicenza Calcio), Andrea Poli (US Sassuolo Calcio).

Forwards
Robert Acquafresca (Cagliari Calcio), Mario Balotelli (FC Internazionale Milano), Sebastian Giovinco (Juventus), Alberto Paloschi (Parma FC).


Final Qualifying Standings

Qualifying Results

Competition History

Winners: 1992, 1994,1996, 2000, 2004
Runners-up: 1986
Semi-Finalists: 1984, 1990, 2002

Italy are the most successful side in the history of the Under-21 Championship. They have won the competition on five occasions, most recently in 2004.

The Azzurrini won the competition three times in succession in the nineties, the first of those triumphs in 1992, inspired by the likes of Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli. Two years later the golden generation won the trophy again, this time inspired by future stars such as Fabio Cannavaro, Christian Vieri and Filippo Inzaghi.