The Premier League’s Top 5 Best Ever Italian Players
Only five Italian players have ever played for United, and one of those, Massimo Taibi, has to go down as one of the worst buys during Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure at the club.
However, over the years, the Premier League itself has had its fair share of Italians who have lit up English football and have established a good reputation in this country.
You would probably say that only one or two could actually be classed as “legends” but there are certainly a decent number of players from Italy who have left their mark.
Press the next page as we go through our list of the five best Italians in Premier League history.
5) Carlo Cudicini (Chelsea and Tottenham)
Under Claudio Ranieri, the Italian keeper was one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League but the arrival of Petr Cech meant he had to play second fiddle.
However, he did get late-career moves to Tottenham and LA Galaxy before hanging up his boots in 2014 after 22 years in professional football.
4) Paulo Di Canio (Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham And Charlton)
Some will always remember the striker for his petulant shove on referee Paul Alcock, which ended his career as a Sheffield Wednesday player.
However, Di Canio showed that he was an extremely talented footballer after his subsequent move to West Ham, scoring 47 league goals in 118 appearances.
3) Roberto Di Matteo (Chelsea)
The Italian arrived from Lazio in the late nineties and formed a formidable partnership alongside Dennis Wise in the heart of Chelsea’s midfield.
Di Matteo was a box to box midfielder, with a good passing range, but he will probably be remembered most for the opening goal in the 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in the 1997 FA Cup final.
2) Fabrizio Ravanelli (Middlesbrough and Derby)
The Italian was excellent during his two spells in England, scoring 30 league goals in 83 Premier League appearances despite playing for two struggling teams.
Ravanelli’s iconic grey hair and his shirt over his head celebration made him one of the most well known Italian imports.
1) Gianfranco Zola (Chelsea)
The Italian master was always going to finish top of this list. Voted Chelsea’s best-ever player, the forward’s dazzling skill on the ball made him great to watch, even for neutrals.
Zola spent seven years at Stamford Bridge, and he actually had his best goalscoring season in his final campaign with the Blues before he left in 2003.
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