Top 50 Foreigners
Those who made an impact on the Italian game after the borders were re-opened in 1980
10 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
SWEDEN
Ignore the shame of Calciopoli and Ibrahimovic has won a League title in each of the last seven seasons at Ajax, Juventus, Inter and Barcelona. Signed in secrecy by the Old Lady on deadline day in 2004 by Luciano Moggi, Ibracadabra began to mature into the player who splits opinion to this day. Joining Inter after Juve’s demotion, he left the Beneamata after guiding them to League glory with a Capocannoniere clutch of goals. Milan will be hoping that he hasn’t lost his Scudetto touch.
9 Gabriel Batistuta
ARGENTINA
Batigol, Re Leone, call him what you want but Batistuta remains a Serie A legend. Viewed by some as a Mario Cecchi Gori gamble, the Argentine ended almost a decade in Florence with over 150 Serie A goals – the highest in the club’s history – and among the Top 10 Serie A scorers of all time. Injury cruelly robbed him of a possible Viola Scudetto in 1999, before he got his hands on that prize at Roma in 2001. A gold statue at the Franchi commemorates his greatness.
8 Ronaldo
BRAZIL
Ended his five-year stint at Inter in tears after they threw away the title on the last day, his Nerazzurri career was generally dominated by heartbreak. Although he scored 49 goals in only 68 League games, he collected just one UEFA Cup and two career-threatening injuries at San Siro. Cruelly walked out on Inter after his 2002 World Cup exploits, he returned to Italy with Milan in 2007 until his knee went crack yet again. A prodigious talent, he could have been even greater…
7 Kaka
BRAZIL
A phenomenal talent who despite his tender years usurped Manuel Rui Costa in the Milan starting XI. Technically superb, Kaka’s exquisite dribbling ability, vision and pace saw him become the world’s best player at San Siro. Winner of the Golden Ball in 2007, the deeply religious icon helped the Rossoneri conquer Europe and then the world. Sold to Real Madrid in 2009 for €68m after rejecting Manchester City six months earlier.
6 Zinedine Zidane
FRANCE
Another player to win the Ballon d’Or while serving Juventus, Zidane took his time to settle in Italy after his low-key transfer from Bordeaux. Signed at a cost of around £3m, he was sold five years later to Real for a world record £50m – it was an indication of just what kind of midfielder he had become. Although not as popular as Platini with the Turin faithful, there is no doubt that he was part of the good times at the Delle Alpi.
5 Ruud Gullit
HOLLAND
In the absence of the injured Marco Van Basten, Gullit was the star who initially shone the brightest at Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan. Acquired from PSV, he would win three Scudetti and two European Cups amongst other honours in Rossonero. His physical strength and ball ability allowed him to play in numerous roles during his career, while his two splendid spells at Sampdoria underlined that he wasn’t finished.
4 Falcao
BRAZIL
The best foreign signing immediately made by an Italian club once the borders re-opened in 1980, Falcao went on to become the Eighth King of Rome such was his impact in the capital. A Brazilian regista of subtlety and substance, he was the lynchpin behind their 1983 Scudetto and part of the side that lost a European Cup to Liverpool on penalties. The highest paid player in the League at the time, he left after knee injury and difficulties with owner Dino Viola.
3 Marco Van Basten
HOLLAND
Already suffering from ankle problems when he signed for Milan in 1987, Van Basten would be forced to prematurely end his career at the age of 30. “Football has lost its Leonardo Da Vinci,” stated Rossoneri official Adriano Galliani. A favourite of Silvio Berlusconi, the Dutchman won three Golden Balls, three Scudetti and two European Cups. More than just a striker, he played his last game in the ill-fated 1993 Champions League Final loss to Marseille.
2 Michel Platini
FRANCE
Twinkle-toed midfield inspiration, he won everything on offer with Juventus apart from the UEFA Cup. Having sacrificed Liam Brady to get their hands on the Frenchman, it took Platini more than half a season to acclimatise to Serie A but when everything clicked it was magic. During his time in Turin he won three consecutive Capocannoniere crowns and three straight Golden Balls. Retired in 1987, the same season that Maradona elevated Napoli to Scudetto heaven.
1 Diego Armando Maradona
ARGENTINA
Artist, party animal, hero, villain, intellectual muse, populist icon, the ultimate poor boy come good and torn apart by his own demons. Susy Campanale profiles Diego Armando Maradona, Football Italia’s top foreigner of the last 30 years.
Marco took Heerenveen today.
