Italian football has been on a downward slope in the last decade. Inter Milan were the last Italian team to have lifted the Champions League and this victory came in 2010. It certainly feels a long time ago considering that the club have now failed to qualify for this European competition. The Champions League used to be dominated by the Italians during the 1990s, but an era of non-development from the youngsters appears to have cost the nation as a whole. It is only now in recent years that Italy have been able to celebrate young and upcoming talented players.
The rise of the Premier League and the Spanish la Liga in the last two decades also appears to have contributed to the demise of the Italian Serie A, which is no longer considered as one of the top three in European leagues. Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, however, said that this was not the case and that Italian football continues to hold a key attraction amongst players. Some of the big names currently playing their trade in the Italian league include the likes of Carlos Tevez and Fernando Torres. Amongst the names, Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba is a player of noteworthy mention. The French midfielder is rated in excess of £ 50 million even at just 21 years of age.
“In Italy, they always show you the less good things. Everybody says: ‘Italian football is rubbish’, but nobody does anything about the good stuff. Everyone says: ‘Italian referees are the worst’. Then we have them officiating the World Cup final. Italian teams concede questionable penalties abroad and stay calm. What does harm to Italian football is that everyone talks about incidents and not the game. The game itself was good, intense, great to watch,” said the former AC Milan manager.