Juventus and Italy have often moved through the same footballing chapters, but the latest national-team selections underline how far that old alignment has weakened. Across the 34 players chosen by Roberto Mancini and the 25 called into the Under-21 squad, Juventus supplied no outfield player; goalkeeper Vicario was the club’s only representative among almost 60 names, and he did not play.
A fading connection with the Azzurri
The absence is striking because Juventus once formed a substantial part of Italy’s spine. At the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, nine Juventus players appeared together across three matches: Dino Zoff, Gaetano Scirea, Claudio Gentile, Antonio Cabrini, Romeo Benetti, Marco Tardelli, Franco Causio, Roberto Bettega and Antonello Cuccureddu.
There was a similarly clear Juventus imprint on the 2006 World Cup triumph. Gianluigi Buffon, Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabio Cannavaro and Mauro Camoranesi started the final in Berlin. The present picture is markedly different, with no immediate prospect of a comparable Juventus-led Italian core.
How the current picture developed
- Over the past 14 summer and winter transfer windows, Juventus have signed only 10 Italian players: Federico Chiesa, Rolando Mandragora, Nicolò Rovella, Manuel Locatelli, Moise Kean, Federico Gatti, Andrea Cambiaso, Michele Di Gregorio, Vicario and Ekhator.
- The club’s recruitment has otherwise leaned heavily towards players from abroad, limiting the pool of Italian footballers who might develop into regular first-team and international options.
- Several of the Italian signings did not remain part of Juventus’ long-term plans. Mandragora and Rovella left for financial reasons, while Chiesa and Kean departed after no renewal was agreed as their contracts ran down.
- Four Italy-eligible players developed through the Next Gen system — Nicolò Savona, Nicolò Fagioli, Hans Nicolussi Caviglia and Fabio Miretti — were also sold to generate capital gains.
- Juventus’ second-team scouting has been more successful in the international market than within Italy, securing talents including Kenan Yildiz, Dean Huijsen, Matías Soulé, Tarik Muharemović, Radu Drăgușin, Enzo Barrenechea and, more recently, Licina.
Injuries and loans add context
The senior and Under-21 lists do not tell the whole story. Cambiaso and Locatelli were unavailable through injury, and both have previously been involved at Coverciano. Locatelli was also part of Mancini’s European Championship-winning Italy squad in 2021.
Ekhator has already made his senior Italy debut, having been introduced during Silvio Baldini’s spell as interim head coach. The Under-21 group, meanwhile, includes Moruzzi and Faticanti, Juventus-owned players currently on loan at Avellino.
Those qualifications soften the immediate verdict, but they do not alter the broader concern: Juventus currently have few established Italian outfield players pushing consistently for national-team places.
A younger group offers a possible route back
There are nevertheless signs of Juventus representation further down Italy’s youth pathway. Eleven Juventus players appeared in the latest call-ups across the younger age categories.
- Under-20: Verde and Pagnucco
- Under-19: Borasio and Elimoghale
- Under-18: Del Fabro, Rigo, Corigliano and Santa Maria
- Under-17: Ghiotto, Pipitò and Salvai
The club has not hidden Carnevali’s intention to rebuild a stronger Italian base. That objective will require patience, retention and a clearer bridge from youth football to the first team. For now, the Juventus contribution to Italy belongs more to the future age groups than to the senior Sunday of the championship.
