There are 11 strikers selected by national team coach Roberto Mancini for this four-match Nations League series. Of these, three (Cambiaghi, Inacio and Maldini) have yet to score, while three others have yet to make their debut (Sebastiano Esposito, Vergara and Zoma). Thus, there are only 5 Italian strikers who have already scored for the national team: adding up their goals, we reach a total of 32 (13 Kean, 11 Raspadori, 5 Pio Esposito, 2 Zaniolo, 1 Scamacca).
The late Gigi Riva continues to be the top scorer in the history of the Italian national team, with 35 goals in 42 appearances: the first, a hat-trick, he scored in Cosenza on November 11, 1967 (Italy-Cyprus 5-0, match for the 1968 European Championship qualifiers), while the last at the “Olimpico” in Rome on October 20, 1973 (Italy-Switzerland 2-0, match for the 1974 World Cup qualifiers). And the fact that this record has stood for more than 50 years illustrates the decline of our football (which, however, has won two World Cups and one European Championship in this period).
Moreover, the podium of Italy's top scorers, in addition to the name of Gigi Riva, brings to mind two legends of Italian football from the 1930s: the second is Peppino Meazza with 33 goals, while the third is Silvio Piola with 32. The first "contemporary" strikers in the ranking are Roby Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero, fourth with 27 goals. All the other major national teams have significantly higher and "modern" figures.
Great international strikers
Let's start with the record of the usual Cristiano Ronaldo (146 goals with Portugal) and Messi (125 with Argentina). In addition to Argentina, the other six World Cup winners leave us far behind: England with Harry Kane (85), Brazil with Neymar (80), Germany with Klose (71), Uruguay with Suarez (69), France with Mbappé (66) and Spain with David Villa (59).
The rest of the European and world aristocracy has also done better than the Italians. In descending order: Belgium with Lukaku (93), Poland with Lewandowski (89), Hungary with Puskas (84, for the only record older than that of Riva), Serbia with Mitrovic (64), Sweden with Ibrahimovic (62), Norway with Haaland (62), USA with Dempsey and Donovan (57), Netherlands with Depay (55) and Czech Republic with Koller (55), Denmark with Tomasson and Paul Nielsen (52), Turkey with Hakan Sukur (51), Chile with Alexis Sanchez (51), Austria with Arnautovic (49), Bulgaria with Berbatov and Bonev (48), Croatia with Suker (45). Then there is the case of Russia: the record scorers with 30 goals are Dzyuba and Kerzhakov, but with the USSR, the Soviet Union, the record belongs to Bloch with 42 goals.
Also passed by Korea
Thus, Italy is behind South Korea, fourth in 2002 (Cha Bum Kun has 58 goals), and Morocco, fourth in 2022 (Ahmed Faras has 36). The figures are killer for Italy, on par with Romania (35 goals for Mutu and Hagi) and slightly above Slovakia (recently created, with Marek Hamsik as the record holder with 26 goals). In short, a real goal crisis for our national team. Despite the three "great" successes from the '80s to today.
Paolo Rossi was the top scorer in Spain in 1982 with 6 goals and four years earlier in Argentina he had scored 3 more. For him, that is, 9 goals in the final stages of the World Cup, but only 20 in total. Then the triumph in Germany in 2006, but with the goals distributed among a full ten players (2 each from Materazzi and Toni; 1 each from Del Piero, Gilardino, Grosso, Iaquinta, Inzaghi, Pirlo, Totti and Zambrotta). Even five years earlier in England, the triumph of Italy under coach Mancini in the European Championship saw the goals divided between Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne, Locatelli and Pessina (all 2 goals each), as well as Barella and Bonucci (1 each).
