Italian Soccer

The Italian soccer riots by the fans marred the game in Italy for quite some time now, however, the Italian team stood in the face of the entire crisis. The current World Champions, Italian national team has won four soccer World Cups in total, just one short of that of Brazil. As mighty as Brazil, the two teams however, can not be compared for both have an altogether different playing style.

The Italian soccer league is at the heart of the game, providing the best possible players for the national team. In Italy the league soccer was founded in 1898. Serie A began in 1929 and became the top division of the Italian football. However, during the early days of its introduction in their country, the Italian teams were playing soccer on regional basis and there was no organized championship. It made it difficult for the Italian Football Federation to pick up a team with best possible players available. The Italian national team started their show down in the international circuit with an exceptional 6-2 win over France, in Milan on 15 May 1910. The team brought their first medal home, though a bronze one after taking part in the 1928 Summer Olympics. They won their match for the third place against Egypt by defeating it 11-3, after loosing the semi-final against Uruguay.

The Italian soccer team refused to attend the 1930 World Cup, however, became winners of the next two of them held in 1934 and 1938. They displayed a spectacular game on their home grounds during their debut World Cup appearance. They defeated Czechoslovakia in the final by 2-1. Not only that but they also defended their title winning it next time when it was arranged in France. In final they smashed Hungry by 4-2. The situation became a bit grim, however, after the World War I when the Italian soccer lost its track and did not show any great performances, much to the disappointment of the fans. But fortunately this fall from the grace did not last for long and Italy stood up again on their feet by picking up the European Cup in 1968. They defeated Yugoslavia in Rome for the title.

Two years later they once again reached the final of the world cup. In semi- final they defeated West Germany in extra time by 4-2, with an impressive display of football. The game is still remembered as they Game of the Century. However, they were defeated by Brazil in the final, making them the World Champions for a third time. Considered an under dog in the 1982 World Cup, the Italian team defeated the World Champions Brazil in a crunch match of the second round and advanced to the semi final. In final they defeated West Germany once again to clinch they Cup for the third time. The last world cup played in 2006 was also won by Italy where they defeated France by 5-3 on penalties. The score was level at 1-1 at the end of the extra time. Italian soccer team topped the FIFA ranking charts by jumping to the first place after the 2006 World Cup; however, they have now lost their place to Argentine, and are now resting at the third place.

The Italian football league is based upon a series of interconnected leagues. At the top of it is what is popularly known as National professional League. It has two divisions, Serie A and B. Then there is Professional Serie League C. It overtakes C1 which has two divisions and C 2 which has three divisions working under it. Then there is Serie D which has nine parallel divisions, here the clubs are divided according to their geographical locations. These are the major divisions, under them there are even more leagues working at lower levels. Italy’s Serie A is considered as the top most leagues which include best clubs, employing the cream of football. At the crown of this league is AC Milan which is currently ranked as number one club in Europe.