Italian Sports Legends
The greatest italian sports people of all time — across 11 sports.
⚽ Football
Italian
Alessandro Del Piero
Forward/Attacking Midfielder
Italian football legend and attacking midfielder/forward who captained Juventus for over a decade an…
Italian
Alessandro Nesta
Centre Back
One of the most elegant defenders in football history, whose grace and reading of the game defined A…
Italian
Andrea Pirlo
Deep-Lying Playmaker
Italian football midfielder and manager, renowned as one of the greatest deep-lying playmakers of al…
Italian
Fabio Cannavaro
Centre Back
Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning captain and Ballon d'Or winner — one of the finest defenders of his g…
Italian
Federico Chiesa
Winger / Forward
Explosive Italian forward whose directness and ability to score in big moments made him a hero of Eu…
Italian
Filippo Inzaghi
Forward
The ultimate poacher — a predatory striker who lived on the shoulder of the last defender and became…
Italian
Francesco Totti
Forward/Attacking Midfielder
Francesco Totti was born in Rome in 1976, grew up a Roma supporter and spent his entire 25-year prof…
Italian
Franco Baresi
Centre Back/Sweeper
AC Milan's imperious sweeper and Italy captain — arguably the greatest defensive organiser the game …
Italian
Gennaro Gattuso
Midfielder
The ultimate midfield warrior — a ferociously competitive battler who protected AC Milan's defence w…
Italian
Gianfranco Zola
Forward/Attacking Midfielder
The little magician — voted Chelsea's greatest ever player by the fans who watched him.…
Italian
Gianluigi Buffon
Goalkeeper
Italy's World Cup-winning goalkeeper and Juventus's towering presence in goal across three decades —…
Italian
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Goalkeeper
The Euro 2020 Golden Glove winner who debuted at 16 — Italy's most important goalkeeper since Buffon…
Italian
Lorenzo Insigne
Winger / Forward
Italian forward who captained Napoli to Coppa Italia glory and was instrumental in Italy's Euro 2020…
Italian
Marco Verratti
Midfielder
Diminutive Italian maestro whose close control and passing in tight spaces made him one of the fines…
Italian
Mario Balotelli
Forward
Supremely talented but unpredictable Italian striker whose brilliance and controversy made him one o…
Italian
Nicolò Barella
Midfielder
Dynamic Italian box-to-box midfielder whose energy, technique and leadership have made him one of Eu…
Italian
Paolo Maldini
Left Back/Centre Back
Paolo Cesare Maldini was born in Milan in 1968, the son of AC Milan captain Cesare Maldini, and join…
Italian
Roberto Baggio
Forward/Attacking Midfielder
The Divine Ponytail — Italy's 1994 World Cup Golden Boot winner whose missed penalty in the final de…
Italian
Roberto Mancini
Forward/Manager
Italian football player and manager who won Serie A with Sampdoria and Lazio as a player, then led M…
Italian
Salvatore Schillaci
Centre Forward
Toto Schillaci — the most celebrated one-tournament wonder in football history who came from nowhere…
Italian
Stephan El Shaarawy
Forward / Winger
Exciting Italian-Egyptian forward nicknamed 'Il Faraone' who burst onto the scene at AC Milan before…
🎾 Tennis
Italian
Flavia Pennetta
Singles
The unforgettable Italian who won the 2015 US Open in what became one of tennis's most emotional fai…
Italian
Francesca Schiavone
Singles
Italy's 2010 Roland Garros champion and one of the most surprising Grand Slam winners of her era.…
Italian
Jannik Sinner
Player
The first Italian man to win a Grand Slam — Australian Open champion 2024 and 2025 and world number …
Italian
Jasmine Paolini
Singles
Italy's beloved Jasmine — Roland Garros finalist and Wimbledon finalist in the same 2024 season.…
Italian
Lorenzo Musetti
Singles
Elegant Italian with exquisite touch and a single-handed backhand that is one of tennis's most beaut…
Italian
Matteo Berrettini
Singles
Italy's big-hitting serve-and-volley power player and 2021 Wimbledon finalist with movie-star looks.…
🏊 Swimming
Italian
Federica Pellegrini
Swimmer (Freestyle)
Italian swimmer who dominated the 200m freestyle for over a decade, winning Olympic gold in 2008 and…
Italian
Thomas Ceccon
Backstroke
Italian swimmer and Olympic champion, world record holder in 100m backstroke, known for his dominanc…
🚴 Cycling
Italian
Elisa Longo Borghini
Road Cyclist
Italian professional cyclist specializing in road racing and time trials, multiple national champion…
Italian
Fausto Coppi
Road Cyclist
Italian cycling legend and twice Tour de France and Giro d'Italia champion of the 1940s and 1950s, w…
Italian
Gino Bartali
Road Cyclist
Italian cycling legend and Fausto Coppi's great rival, who won three Tour de France and three Giro d…
Italian
Marco Pantani
Road Cyclist
Italian professional cyclist known as 'Il Pirata' who won both the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia …
Italian
Vincenzo Nibali
Road Cyclist
Italian professional cyclist known as 'The Shark of Messina', winner of all three Grand Tours and mu…
🏎️ Formula 1
Italian
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Driver
Italian Formula 1 driver who became the youngest driver to test a modern F1 car at age 17 and joined…
Italian
Giancarlo Fisichella
Driver
Italian Formula 1 driver who competed from 1996-2009, achieving 3 Grand Prix victories and 19 podium…
Italian
Jarno Trulli
Driver
Italian Formula One driver known for exceptional qualifying pace and defensive driving, winning 2004…
Italian
Lella Lombardi
Racing Driver
Italian Formula 1 racing driver who became the first and only woman to score World Championship poin…
Italian
Maria Teresa de Filippis
Racing Driver
Italian Formula 1 racing driver who became the first woman to compete in F1 World Championship races…
⛷️ Winter Sports
Italian
Alberto Tomba
Alpine Skier
Italian alpine ski racer who dominated slalom and giant slalom in the late 1980s and 1990s, winning …
Italian
Federica Brignone
Alpine Skier
Italian alpine skier who became the first Italian woman to win the overall World Cup title in 2020 a…
Italian
Sofia Goggia
Alpine Skier
Italian alpine ski racer specializing in downhill and super-G, Olympic downhill champion and multipl…
🏁 Motorsport
Italian
Andrea Dovizioso
MotoGP Rider
Italian MotoGP rider known for his consistency and three consecutive runner-up finishes in the premi…
Italian
Giacomo Agostini
Grand Prix Motorcycle Racer
15 World Championship titles — Giacomo Agostini is the most decorated motorcycle racer in history.…
Italian
Loris Capirossi
Motorcycle Racer
Italian motorcycle racer who won three World Championships across 125cc and 250cc categories, with 2…
Italian
Pecco Bagnaia
MotoGP Rider
Italian MotoGP rider and two-time world champion, known for his precision, racecraft and dominant pe…
Italian
Valentino Rossi
MotoGP Rider
Italian motorcycle racer widely regarded as one of the greatest MotoGP riders of all time, known for…
🏐 Volleyball
Italian
Ivan Zaytsev
Outside Hitter
Italian-Russian volleyball player and opposite hitter who captained Italy to European Championship v…
Italian
Paola Egonu
Opposite Hitter
Italian volleyball player and outside hitter, considered one of the world's best players, Olympic go…
Italian
Simone Giannelli
Setter
Italian volleyball setter who captains the national team and plays professionally in Italy's SuperLe…