Italy National Under-21 Football Team
The Italy national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Italy and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation.
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| Nickname(s) | Gli Azzurrini (The Little Blues) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Italian Football Federation (Federazion Italia Giuoco Calcio – FIGC) | |||||||||||
| Head coach | Carmine Nunziata | |||||||||||
| Captain | Lorenzo Pirola | |||||||||||
| Most caps | Andrea Pirlo (46) | |||||||||||
| Top scorer | Alberto Gilardino (19) | |||||||||||
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| First international | ||||||||||||
U-23:  Italy 3–1 Austria  (Varese, Italy; 1 November 1970) U-21:  Portugal 1–0 Italy (Funchal, Italy; 23 December 1976) | ||||||||||||
| Biggest win | ||||||||||||
Italy 7–0 Estonia  (Catanzaro, Italy; 23 March 1995)  Italy 8–1 Wales  (Pavia, Italy; 5 September 2003) Italy 7–0 Liechtenstein  (Casarano, Italy; 6 September 2012)  San Marino 0–7 Italy (Serravale, San Marino; 16 November 2023) | ||||||||||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||||||||||
 Norway 6–0 Italy (Stavanger, Norway; 5 June 1991) Records for competitive matches only. | ||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | ||||||||||||
| Appearances | 5 (first in 1992) | |||||||||||
| Best result |  Bronze medallist: (2004) | |||||||||||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | ||||||||||||
| Appearances | 22 (first in 1978) | |||||||||||
| Best result | Champions (1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004) | |||||||||||
Medal record
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The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, held every two years. Italy (along with Spain) is the most successful nation in the history of the competition, with five Championships won (1992, 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2004). Italy has also been twice runner-up of the competition, in 1986 and 2013.
From 1990 to 2004 the team established near-total dominance of European Under-21 football, winning five of the seven tournaments.
Italy's Under-21s played the first match at the new Wembley Stadium, on 24 March 2007, against England Under-21s. The game resulted in a 3–3 draw, with Giampaolo Pazzini scoring all 3 goals for the Azzurrini.
Prior to the 2008 Olympic games, Italy U-21s went on to win the 2008 Toulon Tournament by beating Chile (1–0) in the final. It was the first time they had won this tournament, previously their best had been runner-up on two occasions.
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Since the under-21 competition rules insist that players must be 21 or under at the start of a two-year competition, technically it is an U-23 competition. For this reason, Italy's record in the preceding U-23 competitions is also shown.
- 1972: Did not qualify. Finished 2nd of 3 in qualification group.
- 1974: Losing quarter-finalists.
- 1976: Did not qualify. Finished 2nd of 3 in qualification group.
UEFA U-21 Championship Record
| Year | Round |
|---|---|
 1978 | Quarter-finals |
| 1980 | Quarter-finals |
| 1982 | Quarter-finals |
| 1984 | Semi-finals |
| 1986 | Runners-up |
| 1988 | Quarter-finals |
| 1990 | Semi-finals |
| 1992 | Champions |
 1994 | Champions |
 1996 | Champions |
 1998 | Did not qualify |
 2000 | Champions |
 2002 | Semi-finals |
 2004 | Champions |
| 2006 | Group stage |
 2007 | Group stage |
 2009 | Semi-finals |
 2011 | Did not qualify |
 2013 | Runners-up |
 2015 | Group stage |
 2017 | Semi-finals |
| 2019 | Group stage |
  2021 | Quarter-finals |
 2023 | Group stage |
| 2025 | TBD |
| Total | 22/24 |
- *Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Olympics football Record
Since 1992 Olympic football changed to a U-23 event, and the European U-21 teams are technically U-23 teams. European national teams qualify for the Olympic football tournament through the UEFA European U-21 Championship.
- Before 1992: See Italy national football team
- 1992: Quarter-finals
- 1996: Group stage
- 2000: Quarter-finals
- 2004: Bronze medal
- 2008: Quarter-finals
- 2012: Did not qualify
- 2016: Did not qualify
- 2020: Did not qualify
- 2024: Did not qualify
Overage players in Olympic Games
| Tournament | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gianluca Pagliuca (GK) | Massimo Crippa (MF) | Marco Branca (FW) | |
| Did not select | |||
| Matteo Ferrari (DF) | Andrea Pirlo (MF) | Did not select | |
| Tommaso Rocchi (FW) | Did not select | ||
Mediterranean Games Record
Mediterranean Games Football tournament was U-23 event in 1993 and 1997.
- 1993: 4th place
- 1997: Winners
- 2001: a U20 event
- 2005: filled with B team
Honours
Coaches
- 1976–1986: Azeglio Vicini
- 1986–1996: Cesare Maldini
- 1996–1997: Rossano Giampaglia
- 1997–2000: Marco Tardelli
- 2000–2006: Claudio Gentile
- 2006–2010: Pierluigi Casiraghi
- 2010–2012: Ciro Ferrara
- 2012–2013: Devis Mangia
- 2013–2019: Luigi Di Biagio
- 2019–2023: Paolo Nicolato
- 2023–present: Carmine Nunziata
Coaching staff
Current technical staff:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Carmine Nunziata |
| Assistant coaches | Emanuele Filippini Matteo Brighi |
| Goalkeeping coach | Fabrizio Ferron |
| Athletic trainer | Vito Azzone |
| Match analyst | Marco Mannucci |
| Doctors | Daniele Mazza Vincenzo Santoriello |
| Physiotherapists | Nicola Sanna Emiliano Bozzetti |
| Osteopath | Cristiano Pompili |
| Head of Delegation | Mauro Balata |
| Secretary | Manfredi Martino |
Recent results and forthcoming fixtures
Only official matches are listed.
2023
Italy | 22 June 2023 2023 UEFA U21 Champ. | France | 2–1 | Italy | Cluj Napoca, Romania |
| 20:45 |
| Report |
| Stadium: Cluj Arena Attendance: 11,286 Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands) |
Italy | 25 June 2023 2023 UEFA U21 Champ. | Switzerland | 2–3 | Italy | Cluj Napoca, Romania |
| 18:00 | Report | Stadium: Cluj Arena Attendance: 4,339 Referee: Mohammed Al-Hakim (Sweden) |
Norway | 28 June 2023 2023 UEFA U21 Champ. | Italy | 0–1 | Norway | Cluj Napoca, Romania |
| 20:45 | Report |
| Stadium: Cluj Arena Attendance: 2,347 Referee: Erik Lambrechts (Belgium) |
Italy | 8 September 2023 2025 Championship qual. | Latvia  | 0–0 | Italy | Jūrmala, Latvia |
| Report | Stadium: Sloka Stadium |
Italy | 12 September 2023 2025 Championship qual. | Turkey  | 0–2 | Italy | Adapazari, Turkey |
| Report | Stadium: New Sakarya Atatürk Stadium |
Norway | 17 October 2023 2025 Championship qual. | Italy | 2–0 | Norway | Bolzano, Italy |
| Report | Stadium: Stadio Druso |
Italy | 16 November 2023 2025 Championship qual. | San Marino | 0–7 | Italy | Serravalle, San Marino |
| Report | Stadium: San Marino Stadium |
Italy | 21 November 2023 2025 Championship qual. | Republic of Ireland  | 2–2 | Italy | Cork, Republic of Ireland |
| Report | Stadium: Turners Cross |
2024
Latvia | 22 March 2024 2025 Championship qual. | Italy | 2–0 | Latvia | Cesena, Italy |
| Report | Stadium: Stadio Dino Manuzzi |
Turkey | 26 March 2024 2025 Championship qual. | Italy | 1–1 | Turkey | Ferrara, Italy |
| 18:15 |
| Report |
| Stadium: Stadio Paolo Mazza Referee: Cesar Soto Grado (Spain) |
Japan U23 | 4 June 2024 Touloune Tournament GS | Italy | v | Japan U23 | Vitrolles, France |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Stade Jules-Ladoumègue |
Italy | 6 June 2024 Touloune Tournament GS | Ukraine  | v | Italy | Aubagne, France |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Stade de Lattre-de-Tassigny |
Panama U23 | 10 June 2024 Touloune Tournament GS | Italy | v | Panama U23 | Aubagne, France |
| 18:15 | Report | Stadium: Stade de Lattre-de-Tassigny |
Egypt U23 | 12 June 2024 Touloune Tournament GS | Italy | v | Egypt U23 | Salon-de-Provence, France |
| 18:15 | Report | Stadium: Stade d'Honneur Marcel Roustan |
| 14 or 16 June 2024 Touloune Tournament F | Italy | v | TBD | TBD, France |
| TBD | Stadium: TBD |
Republic of Ireland | 15 October 2024 2025 Championship qual. | Italy | v | Republic of Ireland | TBD, Italy |
Players
Players born in 2002 or later are eligible for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Players in bold have been already capped with the senior team.
Current squad
The following players were called up for the qualifying matches against Latvia and Turkey on 22 and 26 March 2024, respectively.
Caps and goals as of 26 March 2024, after the match against Turkey.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Sebastiano Desplanches | 11 March 2003 | 7 | 0 | Palermo | |
| GK | Filippo Rinaldi | 4 December 2002 | 0 | 0 | Olbia | |
| GK | Gioele Zacchi | 10 July 2003 | 0 | 0 | Giana Erminio | |
| DF | Lorenzo Pirola (captain) | 20 February 2002 | 18 | 3 | Salernitana | |
| DF | Riccardo Calafiori | 19 May 2002 | 8 | 0 | Bologna | |
| DF | Matteo Ruggeri | 11 July 2002 | 8 | 0 | Atalanta | |
| DF | Mattia Zanotti | 11 February 2003 | 7 | 0 | St. Gallen | |
| DF | Diego Coppola | 28 December 2003 | 4 | 0 | Hellas Verona | |
| DF | Daniele Ghilardi | 6 January 2003 | 4 | 1 | Sampdoria | |
| DF | Michael Kayode | 10 July 2004 | 3 | 0 | Fiorentina | |
| DF | Riccardo Turicchia | 5 February 2003 | 2 | 0 | Juventus Next Gen | |
| MF | Cesare Casadei | 10 January 2003 | 9 | 1 |  Chelsea | |
| MF | Fabio Miretti | 3 August 2003 | 9 | 1 | Juventus | |
| MF | Cher Ndour | 27 July 2004 | 7 | 0 | Braga | |
| MF | Matteo Prati | 28 December 2003 | 7 | 0 | Cagliari | |
| MF | Giovanni Fabbian | 14 January 2003 | 6 | 2 | Bologna | |
| MF | Jacopo Fazzini | 16 March 2003 | 2 | 0 | Empoli | |
| MF | Alessandro Bianco | 1 October 2002 | 1 | 1 | Reggiana | |
| MF | Luis Hasa | 6 January 2004 | 0 | 0 | Juventus Next Gen | |
| MF | Franco Tongya | 13 March 2002 | 0 | 0 |  AEK Larnaca | |
| FW | Lorenzo Colombo | 8 March 2002 | 20 | 4 | Monza | |
| FW | Wilfried Gnonto | 5 November 2003 | 7 | 5 | Leeds United | |
| FW | Gaetano Oristanio | 28 September 2002 | 7 | 0 | Cagliari | |
| FW | Francesco Pio Esposito | 28 June 2005 | 6 | 2 | Spezia | |
| FW | Giuseppe Ambrosino | 10 September 2003 | 2 | 0 | Catanzaro | |
| FW | Cristian Volpato | 15 November 2003 | 2 | 1 | Sassuolo | |
Recent call-ups
Following are listed players called up in the previous twelve months who are still eligible to represent the under-21 team.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Jacopo Sassi | 24 July 2003 | 0 | 0 | Pro Vercelli | v. Republic of Ireland, 21 November 2023 |
| GK | Alessandro Sorrentino | 3 April 2002 | 1 | 0 | Monza | 2023 UEFA Euro U21 PRE |
| DF | Gabriele Guarino | 14 April 2004 | 1 | 0 | Modena | v. Republic of Ireland, 21 November 2023 |
| DF | Tommaso Barbieri | 26 August 2002 | 0 | 0 | Pisa | v. Republic of Ireland, 21 November 2023 |
| DF | Samuel Giovane | 28 March 2003 | 0 | 0 | Ascoli | v. Republic of Ireland, 21 November 2023 |
| DF | Giorgio Cittadini | 18 April 2002 | 2 | 0 | Genoa | v. Turkey, 12 September 2023 |
| DF | Destiny Udogie | 28 November 2002 | 8 | 0 | Tottenham Hotspur | v. Latvia, 8 September 2023 INJ |
| DF | Giorgio Scalvini | 11 December 2003 | 6 | 0 | Atalanta | 2023 UEFA Euro U21 |
| MF | Edoardo Bove | 16 May 2002 | 12 | 0 | Roma | v. Latvia, 22 March 2024 INJ |
| MF | Simone Panada | 2 June 2002 | 0 | 0 | Atalanta U23 | v. Turkey, 12 September 2023 |
| FW | Tommaso Baldanzi | 23 March 2003 | 3 | 1 | Roma | v. Latvia, 22 March 2024 INJ |
| FW | Luca Koleosho | 15 September 2004 | 1 | 0 | Burnley | v. Republic of Ireland, 21 November 2023 |
| FW | Sebastiano Esposito | 2 July 2002 | 7 | 0 | Sampdoria | v. Norway, 17 October 2023 |
| FW | Marco Nasti | 17 September 2003 | 2 | 1 | Bari | v. Norway, 17 October 2023 PRE |
| FW | Matteo Cancellieri | 12 February 2002 | 12 | 4 | Empoli | 2023 UEFA Euro U21 |
INJ Withdrew due to injury | ||||||
Records
Players in bold are still eligible to represent the Under-21 team. Caps and goals with the Olympic team are included.
Most appearances
The following is the top 10 most capped under-21 players:
| Rank | Player | Period | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Pirlo | 1998–2002 | 46 | 16 |
| 2 | Marco Motta | 2005–2009 | 42 | 1 |
| 3 | Francesco Bardi | 2011–2015 | 37 | 0 |
| 4 | Matteo Brighi | 2000–2004 | 35 | 2 |
| 5 | Daniele Bonera | 2001–2004 | 34 | 0 |
| 6 | Matteo Ferrari | 1999–2002 | 33 | 3 |
| 7 | Luca Marrone | 2009–2013 | 32 | 1 |
| Alessandro Rosina | 2004–2007 | 32 | 4 | |
| 9 | Luca Caldirola | 2010–2013 | 31 | 1 |
| Marco Donadel | 2004–2006 | 31 | 1 |
Top goalscorers
The following is the top 10 under-21 goalscorers:
| Rank | Player | Period | Goals | Caps | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alberto Gilardino | 2000–2004 | 19 | 30 | 0.63 |
| 2 | Andrea Pirlo | 1998–2002 | 16 | 46 | 0.34 |
| 3 | Manolo Gabbiadini | 2010–2013 | 12 | 24 | 0.5 |
| 4 | Massimo Maccarone | 2000–2002 | 11 | 15 | 0.73 |
| Gianluca Vialli | 1983–1986 | 11 | 20 | 0.55 | |
| Patrick Cutrone | 2017–2021 | 11 | 25 | 0.44 | |
| 7 | Cristiano Lucarelli | 1996–1997 | 10 | 10 | 1 |
| Robert Acquafresca | 2007–2009 | 10 | 16 | 0.62 | |
| Christian Vieri | 1992–1996 | 10 | 19 | 0.52 | |
| 10 | Gianluca Scamacca | 2018–2021 | 9 | 15 | 0.6 |
| Ciro Immobile | 2009–2013 | 9 | 16 | 0.56 | |
| Andrea Belotti | 2013–2015 | 9 | 18 | 0.5 | |
| Roberto Mancini | 1982–1986 | 9 | 26 | 0.34 | |
| Alberto Paloschi | 2008–2013 | 9 | 29 | 0.31 |
See also
Notes
References
External links
- Official website, Italian language
- Official website, English language
- The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-21/U-23 Championships.
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