Italy: 57 players launched by Roberto Mancini during his first tenure

After a largely successful first stint from 2018 to 2023, highlighted by the 2021 European Championship triumph, Roberto Mancini has returned to take the helm of the Squadra Azzurra.

The Italian manager made his mark by rejuvenating the squad. From the moment he took charge in May 2018, he placed bold bets by calling up very young, sometimes even untested players at the highest level. In total, no fewer than 57 players made their debuts under his guidance, according to Sky Italia.

Nicolò Zaniolo, for instance, was called up before even making his debut in Serie A, while Simone Pafundi joined the group at just 16 years old. Sandro Tonali, Federico Gatti, Salvatore Esposito, and Alessio Zerbin were selected while still playing in... Serie B.

He also discovered Mateo Retegui, the former Atalanta Bergamo player. Spotted in Argentina while playing for Tigre, the Italian-born striker scored in each of his first two appearances for Italy.

Among the 57 players introduced are several current pillars of the Italian national team, such as Nicolò Barella, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alessandro Bastoni, Manuel Locatelli, Giacomo Raspadori, Davide Frattesi, Federico Dimarco, and Giorgio Scalvini. There's also Moise Kean, Gianluca Scamacca, Wilfried Gnonto, and Samuele Ricci.

The last player to earn his first cap under Roberto Mancini before his departure in 2023 was defender Alessandro Buongiorno.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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