No more Zola or Vialli – Why Zaniolo, Donnarumma and Vicario are Italy exceptions

La Gazzetta dello Sport notes that only 13 Italian players play in Europe’s top leagues (excluding Serie A), and it may be due to on and off-the-pitch issues.

Only 13 footballers in Europe’s top four leagues are among those available for Italy’s national team, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport. Only 10 years ago, there were 30 Italian players in the English, Spanish, French and German leagues.

The pink paper claims that the likes of Guglielmo Vicario, Gigio Donnarumma, Nicolò Zaniolo, Jorginho and other footballers playing abroad have become ‘exceptions.’

This may be due to different reasons, on and off the pitch.

First of all, Italy is no longer producing as many talents as in the past and this is also reflected in Serie A. There are no longer players such as Gianfranco Zola, Luca Toni or Gianluca Vialli, Italian legends who shone in foreign clubs.

Language is also a barrier for many Italian players. Most can’t learn a new language quickly and it’s no coincidence that many Azzurri in the past – except Paolo Di Canio, Vialli and Zola – emerged in Spain or Portugal.

Gazzetta mentions Enzo Maresca’s time at Sevilla, Amedeo Carboni at Valencia and Fabrizio Miccoli at Benfica.

On the other hand, Immobile flopped at Borussia Dortmund over 10 years ago, Gianluca Scamacca returned to Italy after just one season at West Ham, and Moise Kean and Patrick Cutrone also failed to impress in the Premier League, not to mention Mario Balotelli.

Which Italian footballers play abroad?

But which Italian players are currently under contract with a foreign club in one of the leading leagues? They are Jorginho (Arsenal), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle), Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie (Tottenham), Angelo Ogbonna and Emerson Palmieri (West Ham), Nicolò Zaniolo (Aston Villa), Cesare Casadei (Chelsea), Luca Koleosho (Burnley), Vincenzo Grifo (Freiburg), Fabio Chiarodia (Borussia Monchenglabach), Gigio Donnarumma (PSG) and Vito Mannone (Lille).